Letter from Curry Health Network CEO Andrew P. Bair
to James Auborn, Mayor; City of Port OrfordDear Mayor Auborn,
Thank you for your time spent sharing your views regarding healthcare services in North Curry County and the upcoming ballot. I very much appreciated the cordial tone of the meeting.
I understand that the District Board's decision to move forward with the bond levy on the November ballot must be very disappointing to you and the Port Orford City Council, but I know you understand the complexity of the issue and must also be aware that this decision was not taken without thorough and comprehensive consideration of all factors.
One of those factors was our conversation last week. There was extensive discussion on the very points you made in the letter addressed to me in last week's newspaper.
There are myriad additional aspects to this decision. Curry General Hospital has improved its services by adding Emergency Room physicians that are on campus 24 hours a day. In September we will be adding hospitalist services that will provide for the immediate needs of our inpatients. Even with these improvements of service, we are at risk because it is becoming increasingly more difficult to comply with modern state structural codes for hospitals. We feel it is time to move to a new facility without delay. Hesitation will only serve to increase cost of maintaining our aged facility while postponing our ability to recruit the services we need to provide for the community.
When interviewing to bring new specialty physicians to the community, we are not taken seriously. In competition with hospitals throughout the nation for limited qualified medical staff - even though some are intrigued by the natural beauty of the area, they are repelled by our older hospital.
I have been confronted with several myths regarding Curry Health Network since my arrival in November. One prevalent myth is that Curry Medical Center in Brookings is operated by tax funds of the Healthcare District taxpayers in Gold beach and Port Orford. The Curry Medical Center in Brookings was funded through the public market rather than tax dollars. The clinic in Brookings contributed over $700,000 to the District after paying for the expenses of running that facility. It is not well known, however, that taxes collected from Port Orford taxpayers just about cover the operational expenses of Curry Family Medical in Port Orford - yet we plan on improving our services with the addition of specialty care.
When we receive the new tax revenue from the District voters of Port Orford and Gold Beach, all of those dollars will be put to use within the District, with the sole purpose of serving Port Orford and Gold Beach. We will be in position to access a low interest loan to, at a minimum, match our $10M bond. None of this money will go to Brookings.
We have agreed to go through a year-long process of Certificate of Need for Brookings to determine if the federal government will allow a hospital facility in Brookings. We should have a conclusion to that process in about 12 months. We see this as an entirely unrelated issue.
Our Board believes there is good reason to allow the voters to make this decision. After considerable thought and discussion, the Board felt we had no choice but to move forward. There are several tax measures on the ballot; each has valid reasons. Curry Health District supports whatever creates a revitalized community. This must not become an open debate whether we need healthcare or law enforcement. It is clear we need both, and there is a cost.
Most Sincerely,
Andrew P. Bair, CEO
Curry Health Network