Upcoming Public Q&A sessions
Community members are invited to question-and-answer sessions to learn more about the capital facilities bond on the April 25, 2023, special election ballot. Voters should receive their ballots in the mail around April 7. Click on the date below for more details.
Bond Proposal for 2023
Ocean Beach Hospital & Medical Clinics is a public hospital district primarily funded through patient revenue and an operations levy of $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Voter-approved bonds fund capital projects, such as renovating and maintaining facilities and replacing medical equipment.
Currently, many community members must travel a long distance for specialty care causing a hardship for themselves and family. More space is needed to attract medical professionals to our area for increased access to primary care providers and specialty services. Some families require Adult Day Health Care for loved ones with memory issues or physical disabilities. Also, an Urgent Care Center is needed to support the health care of our community.
Our hospital requires renovations for patient care and to maintain the facility. Patient rooms and bathrooms require updating for safety and wheelchair access. Old cast iron pipes behind hospital walls need replacing. The nurses’ station and pharmacy are too small for modern patient care. The hospital also has a schedule to replace medical equipment to improve the quality of patient care.
In addition to hospital renovations, we want to improve energy efficiency and replace HVAC and utility systems near the end of their usable lives. There also are plans to expand the Ilwaco Clinic and the Wellness and Rehabilitation Center.
All projects will improve access to and quality of health care and help our buildings last longer. They also will help our local economy by hiring local businesses, purchasing materials locally and employing people in our community.
The Public Hospital District paid off its last bond of $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2021. It is considering a bond for less than half that amount at $0.17 per $1,000 ($68 per year/ $5.67 per month for a home valued at $400,000) to fund these community needs. This measure will be on the Special Election ballot in April of 2023.
More information, including a list of proposed projects, can be found below.
“We want to better serve the health care needs of our community here at home.”
– Larry Cohen (retired), Chief Executive Officer
DR. LAURIE BELKNAP
Dr. Laurie Belknap is a hospitalist and clinic physician at OBHMC with expertise in both clinical and academic medicine, and has special interests in hospital medicine, women’s health, and pediatrics. She joined OBHMC in 2020. Dr. Belknap was raised on a farm in rural Ohio and has a passion for rural community life.
“I am proud to be part of the high-functioning health care team at OBHMC. I work every day to deliver high quality, compassionate and patient-centered care for the people of this community. Having access to high quality medical care teams and facilities allows patients to get the care they need without costly or potentially harmful delays. The potential to enhance and expand basic health services in our community through improvements at the hospital and at Ocean Park Clinic would mean safer, higher quality care for our patients and the capability to better serve our patients close to home. As a physician based in a Critical Access Hospital, I am often caring for critically ill patients who are unable to transfer to another hospital for a variety of reasons including dangerous weather conditions, road or bridge closures, or a lack of beds available in another hospital. Patients sometimes need to be transferred to hospitals hours away from home and family to get the care that they need, which can be dangerous and costly. The health outcomes, treatment options, and safety of each patient depends on the facilities, medical equipment, pharmacy resources, and health-care team at OBHMC. Bond supported projects such as adding a nonprofit Urgent Care Center, renovating patient rooms, and upgrading medical equipment will provide access to care, prevent delays, and save lives. Enhancing clinic services to increase capacity and enhance women’s health care services at the Ocean Park Clinic would better serve the peninsula and allow patients to access the care they need close to home.”
DIANA THOMPSON
Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics asked community members to share their stories about how the public hospital district has made a difference in their lives. Here’s one from small business owner Diana Thompson.
“I have lived at the north end of the peninsula since 1999. I was delighted when the Ocean Park Clinic was created because it eliminated the need to drive to Ilwaco for many medical appointments. This clinic has been a valuable asset in helping my parents with their medical appointments. In addition, it would be very valuable to have women’s services available at Ocean Park Clinic, especially for our older population who may have issues with driving. Although the drive to Ilwaco (the only clinic that currently offers women’s services) is not that long, it does take time. And for a business owner like me, that time is often needed for other important uses.”
LYNN DICKERSON
Mike and Lynn Dickerson are longtime rural residents and have lived in the Ocean Park and Long Beach area for more than 25 years.
“For me, early intervention and having access to diagnostic tools at a hospital close to home saved my life. I was a longtime smoker but had quit. I was eligible for a lung cancer screening and I got in right away at Ocean Beach Hospital where doctors found a tumor on my left lung. Because I was able to be seen so quickly, they caught it early. This meant I had curable lung cancer, which is not common. My CT scan and diagnostic information was sent to my surgeon in Olympia, who was particularly impressed with the quality of the scan and cleared me for surgery immediately. One month after doctors at Ocean Beach discovered the tumor, I went into surgery to have it removed from my left lower lobe, stopping it from spreading and becoming fatal.
That was five years ago. Today, I am cancer-free and forever grateful for the highly skilled staff and quality of care I received at Ocean Beach Hospital.”
MIKE DICKERSON
Mike and Lynn Dickerson are longtime rural residents and have lived in the Ocean Park and Long Beach area for more than 25 years.
“Last June, I had a stroke out of nowhere. Later, I learned the stroke was caused by atrial fibrillation – a type of abnormal heartbeat – that I hadn’t noticed. My wife drove me to the Emergency Department at Ocean Beach Hospital. The doctors acted very quickly, performing scans, and coordinating with stroke experts at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland to determine treatment. (Ocean Beach partners with Providence Health & Services for TeleStroke services.)
The stroke left me temporarily blind, but I felt the sense of urgency and was comforted by the emergency team who did a great job of keeping me calm and talking me through every step of the process.
Within 20 minutes of my arrival, I was given an anticoagulant shot and then flown down to Providence St. Vincent for the rest of my care. This level of coordination is not only incredibly impressive but critical to minimizing the impacts of a stroke.
Today you would never know that I had one. I feel lucky to live in a rural community with such high-quality medical care, but we can’t take that for granted. We need to continue to support our public hospital district by providing funding for more specialty care, equipment and technology upgrades and other improvements that will increase access to care and provide better patient outcomes.”
Presentation Available
Ocean Beach Hospital & Medical Clinics welcomes invitations to speak to community groups, local service organizations or homeowner associations and provide a 15-20 minute overview of the bond proposal being considered. To schedule a presentation please contact Scot Attridge, Chief Executive Officer, at 360-642-6301 or sattridge@oceanbeachhospital.com.
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Board Meeting on December 15
Public encouraged to participate