Why a New Hospital in North Pacific County?

A New Hospital will Bring New, Local Services
a. We are out of space at our current hospital & clinic campus
1. We need local Chemotherapy, Orthopedics, Cardiology, and other visiting specialties
2. We need expanded local access to primary care physicians
b. We currently have podiatry, audiology, and IV therapy specialty physician services, but cannot provide more due to lack of space
c. A new facility would enhance care and provide training, retention, and recruitment benefits for local providers, nurses, and staff
The Hospital Building on the hill in South Bend is old
a. Built in 1952 and is over 70 years old
b. We have worked hard to take good care of it, but the aging infrastructure is failing
c. It is time to build a space that matches the modern care needs of everyone in North Pacific County

3. What will it Cost?

a. A $1.42 per 1,000 of assessed property value in 2024 (based on a 5.5% interest rate). On a $300,000 property value, this would be $426 annually or $35.50 per month. This amount will change year to year based on assessed property values, and timber tax revenue.

b. Less than a trip to Olympia

c. We put our local taxpayers first. If you have a hospital bill and you pay property tax, you can decrease your hospital bill for the amount you supported the hospital in taxes.

4. We all Deserve Quality Care, Especially Those Most Vulnerable

a. We have a growing demand for health care services

b. In 2022 WHH provided services to thousands of people. A new hospital can allow us to do more for more people, right here at home

Nearly 300 people hospitalized
Over 25,000 outpatient visits
Nearly 5,000 emergency room visits
Over 1,000 surgeries
Nearly 80,000 laboratory tests

c. Over 25% of our population is over 65 years old. The fastest growing part of our population is over the age of 65

Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiology, Chemotherapy, Orthopedics, and other specialties. There will be room for more primary care physicians as well.
We will carefully evaluate all options we have after we move to the new hospital site. We want to make the best use of the old land and building, as this is our responsibility to the community.
Throughout the planning and design process, WHH will continue to seek for ideas and feedback from frontline caregivers, providers, public hospital district commissioners and from North Pacific County community members.
We have hired a well-known, highly skilled and experienced architectural firm, ZGF to guide the design of the hospital replacement project.
Building on a new site is less expensive, will improve workflow and safety, and allow a design to support the practice of modern medicine with the needed additional parking to accommodate the growth in patient services. Building on a new site will take approximately 30 months and hospital revenues would be maintained. Retrofit or replacement on the current site would require operating our current hospital while trying to replace it on our current site. This is estimated to take 6 years at the minimum. This would cause rotating patient service closures of up to 6 months per service area, e.g. lab, radiology, surgery. This would cause less available care, staff furloughs/layoffs and a reduction in patient parking. The lost revenue associated with service closures would put the hospital at financial risk and could lead to closure. Retrofit or reconstruction of the current facility would cost - at a minimum - 50 million for retrofit and could cost as much as $191 million for replacement on our current site.
Your elected Willapa Harbor Hospital Board of Commissioners reviewed potential build sites for over a year. Since WHH is applying for half of the project funding through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), we cannot build the replacement hospital on land within a flood zone or tsunami zone. There are also a number of other location conditions that hospitals built with USDA funding are required to meet. Due to these constraints, the location on Delaware ave. (between Vetter’s Animal Hospital near the Port of Willapa Harbor) was the best location.
Anticipated groundbreaking is beginning to mid- 2025 with 18-24 months of construction.
A 46 million dollar publicly voted bond, which is a $1.66 per 1,000 of assessed property value per year.
If you pay property taxes in North Pacific County, you can decrease your hospital bill for the amount you paid that year in hospital property taxes.
We estimate at least between 10-20% more jobs than we currently provide - as a result of the new specialty care and primary care services offered because of the new community hospital.
We’ve held 10 public listening sessions where we listened to your healthcare needs, shared why our community needs a new hospital, and answered your questions. These were held:
• June 13th at 7:00 - 8:00 pm
(South Bend Community Center)
• June 15th at 7:00 - 8:00 pm
(Raymond Theatre)
• June 19th at 7:00 - 8:00 pm
(Menlo Fire Hall)
• August 10th at 7:00 - 8:00 pm
(Shoalwater Bay Wellness Center)
• January 21st at 2:00 - 3:00 pm
(Bay Center United Methodist)
• January 28th at 3:00 - 4:00 pm
(St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Spanish Interpreter)
• January 29th at 2:00 - 3:00 pm
(Willapa Valley High School)
• January 30, 2024 6:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
(St. Joseph Parish at Holy Family)
• January 31, 2024 at 6:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
(Shoalwater Tribe Community Room)
• February 4, 2024 at 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M.
(St. Lawrence Catholic Church with Spanish interpreter)

We have experienced a double-digit growth—we are running out of room at our current hospital and clinics!

% Patient Volume Growth 2020 - 2023

Hospital Patients At Willapa Harbor Hospital

Timeline of Willapa Harbor Hospital Replacement Project Development

In early 2021 the Board of Willapa Harbor Hospital (WHH) began the development of a Master Facilities Plan. A team of consultants, including architects and engineers, was hired to evaluate the current facility, forecast demand, evaluate options for the facility, and identify options. The consultant team reviewed existing drawings and conducted an onsite review/inspection. It became quite clear WHH has significant facility problems, especially the original 1954 building. It became quite clear to the Board and Administration that ‘standing pat’ with the existing facility is not an option for the future of WHH.

Once the Master Facilities Plan was finished, the Board and Administration started efforts to replace the current facilities. As illustrated in the Timeline, a great deal of work has been done in researching suitable property, identifying criteria for a replacement facility, and defining appropriate services for North Pacific County. A financial consultant, specializing in medical facility projects, was hired to help determine a sustainable financial plan for facility replacement.

After the proposed $46 million bond failed in February 2024, a diverse group of community members was appointed to advise the Board on the next steps. The Technical Advisory Group met six times throughout August, September and October. They examined the facility, listened to experts and worked through the various issues they encountered. Their report and recommendations were delivered to the Board and will be considered at the November 19th meeting.