Contact:           Scot Attridge, Chief Executive Officer
Office (360) 642-6300 | sattridge@oceanbeachhospital.com

Measure to appear on the April 25, 2023, special election ballot

ILWACO, WA — The Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics’ Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to place a capital bond measure on the April 25, 2023, special election ballot. The purpose of the bond is to improve the quality of and access to health care for rural residents.

“OBHMC, also known as Public Hospital District 3 of Pacific County, is designated a Critical Access Hospital to help bridge the health-care gap between cities and rural communities like ours,” said Nancy Gorshe, OBHMC board chair. “We are serving more people, and many must still travel long distances to get the basic and specialty care they need. We have identified a list of priority capital projects to increase access to health care right here at home.”

For example, the Ilwaco Clinic is the only clinic that has the capacity to offer women’s health-care services. The bond would provide funding to equip an additional procedure room at the Ocean Park Clinic to increase capacity and access to women’s health care. The additional procedure room would also offer family planning, urinary incontinence treatment, and annual wellness exams.

The number of people the hospital district serves has increased significantly over the years. In 2021, the hospital district served more than 28,900 outpatient visits, 7,000 emergency department visits, and performed nearly 1,100 surgeries.

Other priority projects the bond would fund include:

  • Adding a nonprofit Urgent Care Center, renovating surgery and patient rooms, and improving the nursing station and pharmacy at the hospital
  • Acquiring or expanding space to increase access to specialty care, such as orthopedics, dermatology, podiatry, urology, behavioral health, and diabetes care
  • Upgrading medical equipment to keep up with technological advancements to provide the best possible patient care
  • Providing more efficient delivery of in-home nursing care services
  • Maintaining facilities and improving energy efficiency at facilities to save on utility costs

The bond is projected to cost $0.17 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The cost would be $5.67 per month or $68 per year for the owner of a $400,000 home. This rate is less than half of what voters approved in the last bond, which was paid off in 2021. The measure will appear on the April 25, 2023, special election ballot.