<div>Rejection of $48 million request leaves modernization needsIt would be convenient to say that Three Rivers Hospital is “back to square one” in its efforts to fund needed renovations — if there was a clear idea where that square might be.A proposed $48 million bond issue to pay for a host of modernization improvements at the 77-year-old hospital in Brewster was rejected in the Nov. 3 general election, although the request did receive a bare majority of “yes” votes.As of early this week, the aggregate vote in Okanogan and Douglas counties was 3,104 “yes” votes, or 50.2%, and 3,079 “no” votes, or 49.8%But a 60% “supermajority” was required for approval, and the hospital is no closer to that goal than it was a year ago when a proposed $45 million bond issue proposal also failed.In 2023, Three Rivers proposed a more ambitious project that called for tearing down and replacing the hospital at a cost of $72 million, but the bond proposal to fund the project failed to get a majority of votes by residents in Okanogan-Douglas Public Hospital District No. 1, which includes portions of Okanogan and Douglas counties.This year’s proposed bond would have funded a project that would preserve the hospital’s existing building while making upgrades to infrastructure, patient spaces and clinical areas.Those needs remain. The means to meet them are less clear. The main section of the hospital was built in the 1950s. Hospital officials say the building’s infrastructure — including electrical, plumbing, generators, heating and cooling — doesn’t provide the capacity needed for today’s equipment and patient care.Residents have supported the hospital for the past six years by approving for annual tax levy to help fund 24-hour emergency room staffing. That tax levy generates about $1.46 million annually to staff the ER.Pushback on oppositionAs it did a year ago, an informal group calling itself the Okanogan Health Care Planning Group opposed the bond proposal, arguing that a comprehensive study of healthcare and hospital needs in Okanogan County should be conducted before more money is spent to upgrade existing hospitals. The group, comprised of retired medical and hospital professionals and concerned citizens from the Methow Valley, has suggested that consolidation of hospital services might be a more efficient way to deliver health care services to county residents.However, there is little indication that the other two public hospitals are ready to consider consolidation in the near-term.In a recent letter to the editor for the Methow Valley News, John McReynolds, Chief Executive Officer of North Valley Hospital in Tonasket, urged voters to support the Three Rivers bond issue request.“Recent letters have urged voters to hit pause until a county-wide study can be conducted. While our county’s hospital leaders have studied regional options, those conversations have not reached the depth of detail or shared the specific goals that the planning group envisions. In part because we know our communities expect us to preserve local access,” McReynolds said. “… I do not see a realistic mechanism to pool public resources on the scale required to fund and build a new, centralized facility. … Waiting for an all-encompassing regional plan ignores the immediate structural needs of existing buildings.”Mid Valley Hospital in Omak recently purchased 20 acres of vacant land for $2.47 million, with the intention of giving the hospital “a place to grow and expand services in the years ahead.”“Health care in a rural community has to be planned in decades, not years,” Mid Valley CEO Andy Bertapelle said. “Over the long term, the [new] site gives room for future phases, including the potential for a replacement hospital.”In a statement to the News, Three Rivers board chair Mike Pruett, a Methow Valley resident, said “We know that people throughout our district care deeply about the future of healthcare in our region, and we are grateful for the thoughtful conversations and valuable feedback we have received.”“It is unfortunate that a small group of individuals has chosen to focus on raising doubts rather than acknowledging the need to invest in modernizing our rural healthcare facility and considering the consequences that continued inaction could have for patients, providers, and our community as a whole,” Pruett added.In a press release, Three Rivers CEO Scott Graham said, “This was our third effort to move forward with a major investment in our hospital. The results each time have told us there is real support for making sure our communities have access to local hospital care for future generations.”The hospital’s Board of Commissioners will have further discussions about the results and possible next steps, according to the press release. No decision has been made about whether to pursue another bond proposal in 2027 or what a future project might include.“We don’t know yet what the next steps will look like,” Pruett said. “Any decision about another bond proposal, or what that proposal might include, will take careful discussion.”Three Rivers Hospital is a not-for-profit, 25-bed critical access hospital, a designation for small hospitals in rural communities that ensure people can get emergency care without traveling long distances. The hospital district serves the largest geographic area of any public hospital district in Washington, covering about 2,500 square miles that includes residents of the Methow Valley and the communities of Bridgeport, Mansfield, Brewster and Pateros.</div>

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Rejection of $48 million request leaves modernization needs. It would be convenient to say that Three Rivers Hospital is “back to square one” in its efforts to fund needed renovations — if there was a clear idea where that square might be. A proposed $48 million bond...

Three Rivers Hospital bond issue proposal falls short

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Rejection of $48 million request leaves modernization needs. It would be convenient to say that Three Rivers Hospital is “back to square one” in its effort

Three Rivers Hospital bond issue proposal falls short

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