Editorial: Let’s pass it this time

Published 8:01 am Monday, July 3, 2023

The proposed Ocean Beach Hospital bond came within about five votes of passing this spring. We will soon have another chance to nudge it into reality.

Carrying an estimated rate of 17 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the bill for taxpayers owning a median-value $335,000 house would be about $57 a year or $4.75 a month.

Pull Quote

Think of the average $4.75 monthly cost of this bond as inexpensive insurance paid ahead for the next time you need a few stitches, or a CT scan to alleviate some nagging health worry.

Undoubtedly the most exciting element of the bond plan is adding an urgent care clinic at an up-sized Ilwaco clinic, at a cost of about $2.1 million.

The bond will also pay for other important improvements, including $2.3 million to renovate surgery and patient rooms and upgrade the hospital’s nursing station, pharmacy and bathrooms; $1.2 million to update imaging and other medical equipment like CT scans and MRIs. The outstanding Ocean Park Clinic will expand women’s health services.

Zeroing in on urgent care, consider that a visit to the emergency room can cost around $1,000, while urgent care typically is about $150 — of course depending in each case on the severity of the issues needing attention. A single run-of-the-mill visit to the ER comes to roughly 17 times more than this bond will cost per year.

We might spend more on gasoline getting to the existing urgent care centers in Warrenton and Astoria than the $4.75 monthly cost of this bond, which will provide close-to-home urgent care and much more.

Ocean Beach Hospital deserves accolades for its day-to-day standard of care, which will be further enhanced by this bond. You don’t have to look long to find positive testimonials, including this from a familiar local resident who suffered a stroke last year and received top-notch treatment in Ilwaco, followed by prompt referral to Portland specialists:

“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.”

Nobody likes taxes, but this is an entirely reasonable and financially conservative request that merely continues a previous hospital bond that was recently paid off, having achieved earlier goals. With a population that trends older than most areas of Washington, it’s essential we continue improving easy access to the healthcare we need. At the same time, quick approval of this bond will demonstrate our community’s commitment to our own wellbeing, a crucial part of attracting and retaining high-quality doctors, nurses and other staff.

Think of the average $4.75 monthly cost of this bond as inexpensive insurance paid ahead for the next time you need a few stitches, or a CT scan to alleviate some nagging health worry.

Ballots are soon to arrive. Let’s darken in the “yes” box and get them back in the mail without delay.