ILWACO — Ocean Beach Hospital has seen revenues gradually climb from a low during the strictest lockdown phase of the coronavirus pandemic and will likely have to return some of the emergency funding it received, CEO Larry Cohen and CFO Eric Volk explained at the Feb. 4 hospital board meeting.

Overall, every department except for physical therapy saw a decline in revenue.

In the first quarter of 2020 revenues were down $1.1 million, or 16% year-over-year. That quarter ended as lockdowns were beginning to take effect, people were becoming reluctant to go to hospitals, and hospitals themselves delayed elective procedures. Quarter two, which started with lockdowns in full effect, saw a 43% plummet year-over-year. In the third quarter, the decline was just 8%, and in quarter four it was 4%. For the whole year, the hospital saw a revenue decline of $5 million, or 18%.

Covid also necessitated some unanticipated expenses for the hospital, such as a new nurse’s station designed to reduce the need to run through protective equipment.

The CARES Act, a massive federal relief bill that included billions for hospitals, was signed on March 27. Between that relief and forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans, which were also part of last year’s federal relief effort, the hospital received nearly $7.8 million, much of it coming in May.

Hospitals must return to the federal treasury any money that goes beyond compensating them for covid expenses and revenue losses relative to either their 2019 totals or 2020 pre-covid budget estimates.

Chief Operating Officer Eric Volk told the OBH hospital board at a meeting last month that he estimates the hospital will end up returning $500,000 to $600,000.