State: Othello hospital out of compliance

OTHELLO — Adams County Public Hospital District No. 3 is among 26 that received a letter from the state Attorney General’s Office on failure to comply with the Reproductive Privacy Act.

The law requires patient privacy for all women seeking birthing and or abortion services. It also requires publicly funded hospitals to provide for elective abortions if they have obstetrics and other maternity and birthing services, as well as providing accessible information on both birthing and abortion services.

The district, doing business as Othello Community Hospital, received the letter calling for compliance with the state’s Reproductive Privacy Act by Dec. 1.

Washington State Attorney General Robert “Bob” Ferguson first notified 26 health care facilities about their deficiencies in a Nov. 22 letter.

Other nearby health care centers receiving the letter include:

Grant County — Public Hospital District No. 1 doing business as Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake and Public Hospital District No. 3 doing business as Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata and Public Hospital District No. 5, doing buisness as Mattawa Community Medical Clinic in Mattawa.

Whitman County — Public Hospital District No. 1-A doing business as Pullman Regional Hospital, Public Hospital District No. 3 doing business as Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics in Colfax, and Public Hospital District No. 4 doing business as Whitman Medical Clinic in Tekoa.

According to Ferguson’s letter, the state was notified that the district and 25 others are not meeting obligations under the Reproductive Privacy Act, Revised Code of Washington 9.02.100.

The law says the “right of privacy with respect to personal reproductive decisions” is a “fundamental right.”

In Colfax, where the hospital has a maternity ward but does not offer elective abortions, hospital district commissioners have been struggling with a choice between offering abortion services and information or closing the obstetrics unit.

Last month, they opted to close obstetrics. But in meetings earlier this month, they put that decision on “pause” and then reversed it last week.