Hospital decision expected tonight
Published 10:41 am Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald
The future of Plateau health care will likely be decided tonight, Wednesday, as the issue of merging with Franciscan Health System goes before the voting members of the Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association.
Previously, an “affiliation agreement” with Franciscan was unanimously approved by the hospital's board of directors.
During the specially-called meeting, board members will simply vote yes or no. If the yes votes total 60 percent or more, officials from the two organizations will begin working toward unification. With anything less than a supermajority, the idea is shelved.
Driving the merger issue is the desire to build a new hospital in Enumclaw. A plan has been in the works for years, but finances have become a major stumbling block. Without outside help, it has been suggested the local hospital, through its foundation, could afford a facility running about $28 million. That would essentially pay for the first phase of a new, state-of-the-art hospital big enough to meet the Plateau's needs.
That's where Tacoma-based Franciscan, a local giant in the health care field, comes into play. If a merger is approved, Franciscan has indicated it will provide funds to fully build the new hospital desired for Enumclaw. It is estimated it would be about 90,000 square feet in size and built within three to four years. Costs have not been actively discussed, but estimates are in the range of $90 million.
Enumclaw Regional Hospital is a community-owned operation, originally made possible when local citizens put the money needed to build and equip the facility.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.
