My wife and I moved to the Long Beach area about eight years ago after visiting many times as a young kid and then as an adult with my own family. We moved here for many reasons, one being a new clinic to be built in Ocean Park at the time we moved. Local healthcare is important to us and that’s why I support the Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinic’s (OBHMC) $10 million capital bond which will be voted on April 25.

I am currently a volunteer on the Ocean Beach Hospital Foundation Board.

The current hospital will celebrate its 50th birthday next year (2024). The building needs a refresh of the current OBHMC facilities — including patient rooms, nursing station, pharmacy space, and other critical infrastructure/direct patient care-related improvements to keep current with upcoming standards (HVAC, equipment, and infection control).

An 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 HVAC equipment replacement is also part of the proposed capital bond project that will lower operational cost and improve air quality in the buildings.

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 $68/per year on property that is assessed at $400,000.

Check out the complete list of proposed projects for this capital bond that will keep Health Care local at the following website: Ocean Beach Hospital & Medical Clinics – Proposed Bond 23 (www.oceanbeachhospital.com/bond).

In summary, please vote with us and approve the $10 million capital bond that will be up for vote on April 25, 2023. Let’s keep quality healthcare here in our local communities.

MIKE and JOAN PORTER

Ocean Park