Health District to ask Voters to Join

By Jane Stebbins, Curry Pilot staff writer

Curry Health District is reaching out to those in Brookings and Harbor in an attempt to secure its status as the primary medical care provider in Curry County.

Work is already underway to redesign Curry Medical Center in Brookings to accommodate a new emergency department (ED). And this fall, voters in the southern end of the county will get the chance to join the district - and with that membership, get a new 25,000-square-foot facility to house a much-needed dialysis center [correction: possibly a dialysis center], infusion therapy for cancer patients, a stationary MRI, surgery [correction: no surgical facility], outpatient observation beds and additional health-provider offices.

The cost is expected to be between $8 million and $10 million.

"This is an exciting day for us, as you can imagine," Brookings Mayor Ron Hedenskog told the hospital [correction: Health District] board Monday after they agreed to a resolution to pose the annexation question to south county voters. "It's an extraordinary, historic day for us. But it's also the beginning of a lot of work."

The work ahead

While groundbreaking took place Monday evening for a replacement hospital in Gold Beach, plans are to spend $500,000 to remodel the Brookings Urgent Care Center [correction: Curry Medical Center's Urgent Care department] as an ED and another $750,000 to purchase equipment.

The goal is to have the department open by August 1, with 20 to 30 additional employees.

The hospital replacement was prompted by the state fire marshal, who told the hospital district board almost two years ago that he could no longer turn a blind eye to the aging Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach.

A Political Action Committee called Save the General [correction: Replace the General] was able to convince 2,149 voters of the importance of rebuilding the hospital; groundbreaking ceremonies that attracted about 200 people were held Monday afternoon.

Currently, the district board is awaiting word from the USDA regarding a $19 million loan to complement the $10 million general obligation bond voters approved last November before work can begin.

The ... other cost

Those expenses, however, must be paid.

If voters agree to the proposed annexation, the district's tax rate of 74 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation would then apply throughout the county. An additional estimated 70-cent per $1,000 assessed valuation will be paid - [correction: currently] only by those in the current district, who voted for it - to fund the general obligation bonds when they are sold, said Chief Financial Officer Ken Landau.

If Brookings joins the district, thus sharing the expense, that 70-cent rate will be reduced to about 25 cents per $1,000 assessed throughout the district, for a total of 95 to 99 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation.

Tax revenue generated from the annexation - estimated to be $1.2 million - would cover the cost of the ED improvements, building the 25,000-square-foot addition and providing other services.

The existing facility in Brookings is 34,500 square feet; the addition would bring it to 59,500 square feet.

"This is an exciting time," said [correction: former] district interim CEO Wayne Hellerstedt, who was in attendance to greet just-hired CEO Ginny Razo. His last day is May 8. "We've been working with OHA (Oregon Health Authority) to get permission to operate a satellite ED in Brookings; it's something that's been on everyone's plate for many years."

Board member Deb Wilson wondered how the face of the five-member board would be changed with the addition of the Brookings-Harbor area.

Two people would be appointed by the Brookings City Council, the resolution reads. State law says those appointees could have input, but not be able to vote until the next board election in 2017. At that point, the seats up for election would be available on an at-large basis, meaning anyone in the county could vie for them. [correction: Brookings City Council would appoint two persons to have voice but no Board vote Board until the 2017 election. At that time, 3 of the 5 Board seats will be up for reelection and would be available on an at-large basis. At this time there are no plans to increase the number of Board Members.]

The district now

Currently, Curry Health District goes as far south as Pistol River. In the 1980s, the district offered the southern end of the county the opportunity to join, Hedenskog recalled, but the offer was rejected.

Animosity grew over the years between the city and district, with the city purportedly not willing to join the district unless a hospital was brought to the county's population base.

Additionally, he said, there was little good health care available - 65 percent of Curry Countians still opt to go to Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City rather than the hospital in Gold Beach. Whether that is because of a perceived difference in health care or merely an easier drive is debatable.

"Why would you contribute taxes to a hospital in Gold Beach that wasn't as good as the one in Crescent City?" Hedenskog said. "They never got it. They said, 'We offered to let you join, and you turned it down.' Uh-duh."

Things have changed - mightily.

According to Hedenskog, it was inevitable the most populous area of the county would eventually get a medical facility - and former health district CEO Bill McMillan knew it, Hedenskog said.

"I believe he was a smart man," he said. "He could see the handwriting on the wall - that eventually we would have a health care facility in Brookings whether (the district) wanted to step in or not."

Instead of allowing Sutter Coast to encroach on its turf, Curry Health Network made overtures to its neighbors to the south.

Hedenskog has come full-circle, too.

"We've been waiting for this a long time," he said. "This could change the game in Brookings. This could be the biggest spark of growth we've had in Brookings. I know not everybody wants to see growth in Brookings - 'It's a cute little town; we wish it'd stay the same,' - but why couldn't we at least fill up the empty houses and storefronts and become strong and viable?"

Hedenskog said the Brookings City Council will vote on a similar resolution at its meeting May 11. The election will be held in either September or November, depending on state deadline requirements.