The Clallam County League of Women Voters sponsored a presentation, “Public Hospital Districts Education Forum,” by the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts Executive Director Matthew Ellsworth at the Port Angeles library.
Ellsworth gave an excellent overview of public health districts, including the challenges faced by all, including our own district.
He told attendees the hospital commissioners alone have the authority to decide the fate of the Olympic Medical Center (OMC) in terms of merger, sale or other forms of partnership.
Per the moderator, our hospital commissioners were invited to attend; none showed.
Some attendees expressed displeasure at the perceived lack of transparency on the part of our elected hospital commissioners looking at changes to the current hospital structure.
Three of the seven hospital commissioner positions are up for election this year, with an additional commissioner position to be vacated in the next six months, per prior Peninsula Daily News reporting.
The Feb. 19 OMC hospital commissioner board minutes report the decision timeline to “identify a preferred partner or remain independent” is April-May 2025.
I would ask our hospital commissioners to put off this decision until after the people speak in November.
Dr. Gerald B. Stephanz Jr.
Port Angeles
Stephanz is an at-large member of the Clallam County Board of Health