Ephrata hospital seeks bonds
Plans for the renovations to Ephrata's Columbia Basin Hospital.
EPHRATA — Columbia Basin Hospital is asking voters to approve an estimated $10 million bond to pay for renovations and rebuilding the hospital.
EPHRATA - Columbia Basin Hospital is asking voters to approve an estimated $10 million bond to pay for renovations and rebuilding the hospital.
Voters can choose whether to approve the property tax increase to pay for a bond. The increase is estimated to add about $10 to the average tax bill in the hospital district. The average property value is estimated to be $150,000, according to the hospital.
The plans for the project call for renovating the nursing home and replacing the south wing, hospital administrator Robert Reeder said. The south wing is where the inpatients are located.
"We would have, eventually, a new ER, lab, radiology, physical therapy, and the 25 patient rooms," he said. "The south wing, the original hospital, was built 53 years ago, in 1957, and in essence it has outlived its usefulness."
The south wing's electrical system met the 1957 building code requirements, but changes to the code make it impossible to make any changes to the system without upgrading it entirely. A process, Reeder said, would cost as much as replacing the entire wing.
"As I will say, a ‘57 Chevy with original parts is a classic. A ‘57 hospital with original parts doesn't quite cut it," he said.
One example where the electrical system is hampering changes is in physical therapy, Reeder said. The area is presently in a 1,000-square-foot space. The hospital could move it to a 3,000-square-foot space, but the change would require updating the electrical system.
"The lab, right now, is very small. We can't expand that without (changing) the electrical system," he said. "So there's just an awful lot that revolves around the electrical system."
Reeder said the hospital board and administrators examined simply changing the electrical system in a renovation, but found it cost almost as much as rebuilding the wing.
"It just made more sense, instead of renovating a 53-year-old facility, to just go ahead and build a new facility," he said.
Reeder said structurally the nursing home is fine, but it needs a "good facelift." They are looking at new flooring, new ceilings, new windows, renovating the rooms, expanding the nurses' station and making an area that's more comfortable for the residents to be during the day.
The hospital conducted a community assessment last fall, Reeder said. The assessment included interviewing 100 people about what improvements they'd like to see at the hospital.
"The nursing home ranked high. The community has a very deep attachment with the nursing home," he said. "Another thing that ranked high with the community is the concept of recruiting and retaining physicians, and one of the things as we talk to the physicians is, ‘You need to have a reasonably state-of-the-art facility to attract physicians.'"
The total project is estimated to cost $14 million with the hospital using about $4 million of its revenue and a capital campaign to pay for the project, Reeder said, adding if the bids for the construction don't come in as high they won't use all of the money.
"Right now, companies that deal with hospital construction are looking for work. It's a great time for getting good construction rates, so we are relatively optimistic that it will come in lower than the $10 million."
Reeder said delaying the project could mean higher costs and interest rates.
The hospital doesn't have the money or the revenue to pay for the project, Reeder said, adding hospitals like Columbia Basin Hospital are financially strapped.
"A typical hospital right now is running a 2- to 3-percent profit margin. That just doesn't cut $14 million. We're doing this capital campaign. We're going to devote some of our reserves to it. We just can't devote that much."
The hospital isn't trying to compete with other area hospitals, Reeder said.
"We're just wanting to provide the basic levels of services our community wants or needs," he said. "We're not looking to go back into surgery. We're not looking to go back into some of those things for specialties we don't have."
If the levy passes, Reeder said they hope to start construction by next spring, with construction finishing in about two years.
A public forum is scheduled for the Ephrata City Council chambers, located at 121 Alder Street SW, on Sept. 22 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.