Samaritan hosting hospital funding meeting
The concept artwork above is an approximation of how a new Samaritan Hospital facility in Moses Lake may look after it is built. Administrators have said the current facility is outdated and smaller than necessary to meet the needs of the region it serves. Funding for the new facility will be the topic of discussion at a Jan. 18 public meeting.
FILE IMAGE
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Hospital district patrons are being invited to discuss the options for construction of a new hospital at an open house from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at Moses Lake City Hall, 401 S. Balsam Street.
Participants will discuss the current status of the project, and the options for funding the construction, according to a Samaritan press release.
The proposal to build a new hospital was approved by hospital commissioners in 2018, and the project was ready to be advertised for bid when the COVID-19 pandemic shut the project down in March 2020.
Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan said in a Dec. 6 commission meeting that economic conditions have changed, and hospital officials don’t think the project could be funded in the way originally intended. One option to make up the funding gap is a construction bond approved by district patrons, she added. Funding options, including a possible bond, will be discussed during the Jan. 18 meeting.