Ritzville residents gather for hospital bond informational meeting

An estimated 40 Ritzville residents gathered at the American Legion Hall on Sept. 18 to listen to the informational presentation given by East Adams Rural Hospital CEO Gary Bostrom. The hospital district has scheduled public meetings in every town to discuss the upcoming bond on the general election ballot for the remodel of the existing hospital.

Nearly a year ago, residents packed into the same room to discuss what the community wanted to see from the hospital. The discussion included programs residents wanted to see offered, as well as updates within the facility.

After the meeting a year ago, Bostrom explained, the hospital was cited by the state for fire and life safety issues. Without remaining compliant in these areas, it put the hospital at risk of losing Medicare and Medicad funding, which provides nearly 70 percent of the funding for the hospital, Bostrom said.

The district has a deadline of May 2015 to fix the issues, and the hospital district has hired NAC and Apollo to complete energy upgrades in the hospital. While the contractors are opening up the walls to complete the project, Bostrom explained asbestos is going to be a huge factor and the district has put a bond on the election ballot so all renovations can be complete simultaneously.

The cost for remodeling the building is an estimated $700,000 less than the last bond placed before the voters, Bostrom said. The hospital district has committed $4.9 million to complete upgrades, and the district is asking taxpayers to vote for a $6.4 million bond, with an estimated cost of $.60 per thousand.

Bostrom also briefly discussed the acquisition of the Life Care Center and the potential benefits both facilities will have when the licensing is complete. The exchange of services is expected to increase efficiency and provide residents with the best possible care, Bostrom said.

During the last EARH meeting, the board voted to change the name to East Adams Rural Healthcare. This name change becomes effective in November, Bostrom said, and the facility will continue to go by East Adams Rural Hospital until after the general election.

Bostrom also discussed the relocating of the helipad in the new hospital design, which would move the landing pad to the rooftop. The current helipad is a safety issue, Bostrom said, and MedStar has submitted a letter to the district in support of moving to the helipad to the roof for various safety reasons. The improvement of the helipad location provides more safety and improved patient outcome, Bostrom said.

Included in the design for the renovations is the addition of a safe room for police to hold patients securely and safely when the patient is waiting for evaluation. The room would also serve as a disease prevention room with negative airflow.

Residents also expressed concerns about the hospital being unable to make the deadline with the additional renovations or if the bond did not pass. Bostrom explained all of the projects related to compliance issues with the Department of Health will be completed by the May deadline, as NAC and Apollo are already working on portions of the project.

The primary concern if the bond does not pass is the potential long-term costs the hospital district would have to pay to remain compliant. While the hospital has a list of mandatory upgrades to be completed, Bostrom said there are multiple components to the hospital that are not failing now, but could be compliance issues in the near future.

The bond money would allow the hospital to make these renovations and upgrades in one major project, Bostrom said, and reduce the chance for having to revisit the issues in the near future, which is a cost saver for the district. These additional renovations would not have to be completed by the May deadline, Bostrom clarified.

The question was raised that if the bond did not pass, would the hospital be able to complete the compliancy projects with reserve money. Bostrom said the $4.9 million committed by the board would pay for the project, and the hospital would still be able to maintain its reserves, but the remainder of the proposed renovations would not be completed at the same time as the initial project.

A few of the potential renovation projects include the addition of the safe room, helipad, elevator and making all hospital rooms ADA compliant.

Bostrom explained if the bond does not pass, the hospital district would still be coming to the taxpayers for money, as there will constantly be upgrades needing to be made at the hospital. In the worst-case scenario, Bostrom said this could lead to the loss of the hospital and in turn the ambulance service. Since volunteers provide the local ambulance service, the service would be terminated without the existence of the hospital.

Throughout the meeting, Bostrom and the hospital commissioners in attendance stressed the benefits for completing all of the renovations in one project. When the projects are compartmentalized, costs drastically increase, Bostrom said.

Both NAC and Apollo are hired to complete the energy upgrades at the hospital, and the companies have a history of being a proven team. They recently completed Whitman Hospital in Colfax together, and were able to keep the project under budget.

For more information about the hospital bond, contact Bostrom at 659-1200.