HOW COULD OUR SMALL COMMUNITY AFFORD A NEW FACILITY THAT INCLUDES A CLINIC, INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT CARE?

One way to assure that any facility created on the Island would be built and operated in a financially responsible way that the community could sustain over the long term would be to partner with a larger mainland healthcare provider.  Ideally, the partner should have a history of successfully serving small, rural, isolated communities with both clinic and hospital services, and should have a mission, values and service policies compatible with our community’s needs and expectations.

If PeaceHealth and the Hospital District were to form a long-term relationship to create and operate an integrated medical center, each party would contribute to the project. No new tax revenues are projected to be needed to build or operate the integrated medical center.  The existing tax levy revenue would be used to first cover the interest on the Hospital District’s bonds, and the remainder would continue to be used to offset as much of the cost of charity care to Island residents as possible.

This information is derived from a recent feasibility study that was undertaken (with representatives from the Hospital District Board, the San Juan Island EMS, the IIMC, consultants knowledgeable about many facets of rural Northwest healthcare, PeaceHealth staff and participants from others in the San Juan community) to determine a realistic operational and financial model based on the best available data from the IIMC and local, state, and national resources. 

The financial impact on Island families is receiving priority consideration; it is recognized that many Islanders are living on fixed or limited incomes and cannot afford any major additional costs for medical care.  Having access to more local medical care would eliminate many expenses now associated with travel to the mainland including ferry, housing and food. The initial findings indicate that no new taxes are needed for operations or construction.

To learn more about financing the CONSTRUCTION of a new, integrated medical center, click here.

To learn more about financing the OPERATIONS of a new, integrated medical center, click here.

To learn more about the feasibility team, click here.

To read the feasibility assessment overview, click here.

To read the feasibility assessment executive summary, click here.