Four hospitals have responded to a request by Island Hospital, Skagit Valley Medical Center and Cascade Valley Hospital for proposals create a partnership or alliance to combine strengths.
Island Hospital Chief Executive Officer Vince Oliver explained to the crowded City Council chambers at City Hall that the hospital faces a number of challenges, including healthcare reform, coming insurance exchanges, state budget cuts, and the federal budget cuts called sequestration.
He said Island Hospital stands to lose $600,000 in Medicare cuts this year. He also pointed out the hospital’s bad debt was $3.25-million and that the hospital donated $1.8-million for charity cases.
Person after person expressed concern about what a relationship with a religious-based hospital would do to Island Hospital and the services it now provides. Many suggested affiliating with UW Medicine or Virginia Mason Medical Center.
Dr. Bill Conner said he was “very concerned over the restrictions of services that would be caused by religiously-affiliated hospitals.”
Former Island Hospital hospital administrator Tasker Robinette urged, “Make sure that no one religion is imposed on anyone.”
Tom Carson said he was a hospital patient in Bellingham and every morning he was “subjected to a canned prayer through a loudspeaker and those prayers were, for someone trained in the field, both biblically and theologically offensive.”
Dr. Hal Clure urged the hospital board to consider that Peace Health could have a monopoly from the Canadian border all the way to Everett. He warned that affiliating with Peace Health, which operates a hospital in Bellingham, may come with a push to end or curtail some services.
City Council member Cynthia Richardson said, “Catholics believe they have a monopoly on what’s right, but the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, also think they have a monopoly on what’s right and I don’t want any of them telling me that I can’t stop at 3 children or that I have to be on life support for 3 months because they think they’re saving my life when, in fact, I have no life left.”
“We’d like to do nothing,” said Hospital board chairman Buzz Ely. “This is an interesting and difficult time in health care.” He told the audience that the board will consider all factors when choosing a partnership.