Build new or renovate, hospital district must make a decision

After nearly 10 years of studies and debate, Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 finds itself at a crossroads: it must either bring its existing, 60-year-old hospital up to code compliance to satisfy the State of Washington or construct a new hospital.

The district’s commissioners and CEO Gary Bostrom will tackle the difficult and challenging issue with community members tonight, Thursday, at 6:30 p.m. during a town hall style meeting at the C.J. Newland American Legion Memorial Hall.

The district has long known the aging building and its antiquated infrastructure was an issue. In the past couple of years, those issues have become urgent tasks following a series of inspections by the state that have earmarked a number of issues.

During the past year a building committee, consisting of hospital commissioners and a handful of citizens, has met routinely to examine the issue.Last year the committee, led by Jerry Snyder and Kirk Danekas, recommended the commissioners elect to pursue the construction of a new hospital.

The cost of bringing the current facility into code compliance will be substantial and will not necessarily make it easier for the district to add additional healthcare services.

Snyder, one of the newest commissioners, recently completing his first year of service, is quick to admit that he was originally opposed to new construction.

“I started with the idea that we do not need a new hospital,” he said. “And being on the building committee I was pursuing that end. That was my goal. The more I got into things, and the more I bowed my back and said we have to do it this way, the more that I found out I was wrong.”

One of the major immediate issues facing the district is an electrical system that wasn’t designed to serve the types of medical technology currently in use at the hospital.

“The needs of today’s Critical Access Hospitals in terms of electrical inputs is far superior to what it was years ago,” Snyder said. “And so what we have is not adequate to do, really what we need to do.”

Rough estimates suggest the electrical upgrade alone to bring the hospital into code compliance, could cost $800,000 or more.

Additionally, the state is mandating the installation of a fire suppression sprinkler system that will cost up to $100,000.

The roof of the 60-year-old building is failing and the estimate for a removal and replacement of it has come in at $234,000.

No matter which way the district turns, Snyder said, it finds things that must be addressed in the existing hospital that will costs tens of thousands of dollars. He is quick to note the presence of asbestos throughout the facility will make any renovations difficult and expensive. The new fire sprinklers, for instance, will likely have to be mounted in a way that doesn’t disturb walls and the ceiling because of the asbestos.

Several other issues exist. The hospitals restrooms are not ADA compliant and cannot meet the needs of handicapped individuals. The facility’s phone system is at the end of its lifespan and repairs are difficult because parts are scarce.

Bostrom notes that building a new hospital will be expensive, and will require voter support of a general obligation bond for approximately $10 to $12 million. This would be a 30-year bond paid for through an increase in property taxes. The rough estimate for a $10 million project is 92 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

During the town hall meeting the district has prepared a detailed PowerPoint presentation that aims to illustrate the long list of deficiencies in the current building and the various options, renovation, complete remodel or new construction.

KDF Architecture from Yakima, which has spent years consulting for the district, will be represented during the meeting. The firm will present the various project options and the rough cost estimates for each.

“When I came in as CEO, I knew that we had been sitting on a project here for many years,” Bostrom said.

“I came in with the idea of ‘let’s make a decision.’ Let’s remodel. Let’s build or let’s fix, one of those three. My goal was to see that we made a decision and moved forward one way or another.”

Bostrom said the taxpayers and the district have to consider what they will have after selecting any of the options.

“If we fix it we are going to have an old building with all kinds of things that are still going to go wrong,” he said. “If we totally restore it, gut it, we are going to spend as much or maybe even more than if we built new. And you still end up with an old building really.

“We have done a lot of work,” Bostrom continued. “The community and the hospital has done a good 10 years of work and research on either remodeling the building or constructing a new building.”

Currently the district is looking at all the options, but commissioners will need to make a relatively quick decision. For one thing the state wants to know exactly which direction the district plans to go and when improvements will be made or construction will begin. Additionally, the preliminary discussions have focused on placing a general obligation bond on the ballot in August. To do so the commissioners will need to finalize the project plans and cost estimates and then vote to proceed with the ballot measure.

Building new, Bostrom explained, provides new advantages for the hospital district.

“When it is clean and new and nice it is perceived better by the customer and the public as better healthcare,” he said. “When we look at the traffic that is coming down the interstate and the number of people there, if somehow we can be visible to them, that will help us a great deal. There is a potential for business there.”

The district is currently exploring a possible donation of land that would allow it to construct the new hospital along State Route 261, south of Interstate 90. The district has also investigated a number of other sites and has yet to make a firm decision on where it would build a new building.

One thing was confirmed. If a new hospital is constructed, the existing facility would be demolished as part of the overall project.

A new facility will also provide the district with opportunities to save money through the use of modern technology and efficiencies.

Bostrom says the district spends $60,000 annually on electricity. A new building he said would cost just $20,000 a year to power up.

He also said several healthcare services can’t be added to the existing facility as its electrical system can not handle any additional power needs. Bostrom said the hospital district would like to have the ability to conduct ultrasounds and bone density tests, but the ailing electrical system won’t allow it.

Residents are encouraged to attend the town hall meeting, listen to the presentation and ask questions.

This is also the commissioners’ regular monthly board meeting so the district will be discussing its general business items following the presentation.