See more about the bond details by accessing this QR code.

As the recently retired CEO of Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics (OBHMC), I would like to express my complete and total support for the recently publicized plan for a $10 million capital bond that OBHMC will put up for vote in April 2023.

The current hospital will celebrate its 50th birthday next year (2024). Given the realities of available land and the related costs for a new hospital (I did this research during my tenure) — the alternative is to refresh the current OBHMC facilities — including patient rooms, the nursing station and pharmacy space, and other critical infrastructure/direct patient care related improvements (in HVAC, equipment, and infection control).

The Urgent Care being planned along with an expansion of the main clinic in Ilwaco are also key benefits that will be realized by the passage of this capital bond.

The covid-19 pandemic taught us all some tough lessons — and I am very proud of the way the hospital providers and staff met the requirements of the pandemic (for example including the creation of negative pressure rooms that remove infectious agents from the air — making space safer for patients and staff). OBHMC needs to make the temporary negative pressure rooms into rooms that can be made negative (or positive) pressure as needed — including the creation of negative pressure rooms in the Emergency Department.

The annual cost to those that own real estate and directly benefit from improvement at the hospital and clinics is about half of the costs of the bond that was retired in December 2021 — or on average about $67/per year on property that is assessed at $400,000.

In summary, please vote with me and approve the $10 million capital bond that will be up for vote in April 2023.

LARRY COHEN, MSHSM

Retired OBH administrator