Supporting a new hospital in North Pacific County is too important to base our votes on less than truth — meaning our County Assessor Bruce Walker. His recent rant regarding tax consequences do not accurately reflect reality.

Matthew Ellsworth, executive director of the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts, pointed out in his recent letter to the editor (Chinook Observer) cost of the proposal which you and I will vote on in February will be “less than a tank of gas a month.” Well worth replacing one of the oldest hospitals in Washington state.

Reality — no less than 90% of our hospital is older than 70 years. Engineers have determined the hospital’s 1950s walls do not meet current structural codes. This means those old walls likely will not withstand any seismic events. We are blessed with a quality board of directors who manage our hospital. In fact, they have been examining alternatives for more than four years.

One of our options is to do nothing while the hospital ages to the point of failure — closing. Alternatively we can support the current proposal to build new and thus expand enhanced primary care medical services through more local physicians serving Pacific County. This could facilitate increased chemotherapy, cardiology and even orthopedic surgery.

During this past year I had a friend who had a heart attack and had to be airlifted to a hospital southeast of us for several days evaluation and treatment that was unavailable here at our aging hospital. His one-way helicopter transportation cost $61,000. Now, weigh that against the cost of a new hospital that could cost each of us the equivalent of an extra tank of gas per month.

It’s a no-brainer — vote for a new hospital in February!

DAVE GAUGER

Raymond