Samaritan Healthcare survey asks residents for ideas on future healthcare

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare officials are asking residents of its hospital district and some regional hospital districts for their ideas on where healthcare in the Columbia Basin should go next. Gretchen Youngren, Samaritan chief development and communications officer, said hospital officials are mostly interested in two questions. 

“I think, ultimately, we’re trying to get answers to: can you get the care you need when you need it, close to home? Or maybe you can get some of it," Youngren said. "And if you can’t, what would make local healthcare better for you and your family? That’s what we’re trying to understand from our residents." 

The survey will be accessible on the Samaritan website through mid-August, with links on Samaritan’s social media. Paper copies will be available at Samaritan Hospital and the two Samaritan clinics on Patton Boulevard and South Pioneer Way.  

The information obtained through the survey will be shared with hospitals in the Grand Columbia Health Alliance, a regional group of hospitals that work together to share resources, expertise and training opportunities. They include Samaritan, Quincy Valley Medical Center, Othello Community Hospital, Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata and Odessa Memorial Healthcare.  

Youngren said Samaritan officials are working on planning for the future, and that the results from the survey are incorporated into that process.  

“It was so imperative to formulating our plan back in 2020, and here we are in 2026," she said. "We’re in the new hospital and now our sights are set on that next generational planning, and we want to hear from our patients. From the people who live here."  

Among the results from the previous survey was the need for additional primary care, which among other things resulted in a partnership for a residency program with the Washington State University Medical School. 

“We can look at all the data that comes out of the state; we can look at all the insurance data and all those things," Youngren said. "But our focus as a community-owned hospital has been on that voice of our community. We want to hear from them, because we would not be here as a community-owned hospital without their voice.” 

Healthcare needs to adapt to meet the changing needs, she said.  

“Moses Lake continues to grow, so how do we, as the regional healthcare provider, position our services and access in a way that people don't have to travel for care? That's ultimately our goal," Youngren said. "How do we be the best at what we can be here? And if we can't provide that service, how do we get you to that next level of care in a way that allows you to return for primary care, but get you to that next level that you need in a timely manner?”  

The survey asks respondents about the location where they get their primary care, if they’re satisfied with the care and the communication with their medical professionals, if they have been treated by a specialist and where they got that care.  

“We’re trying to get over 1,000 survey responses,” Youngren said.