PORT ANGELES – Olympic Medical Center CEO Darryl Wolfe was the presenter at the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon on July 10. His program was titled “Healthcare on the Ballot”.
It is no secret the hospital industry nationwide is struggling greatly. Within rural communities the struggle is even worse.
As Wolfe stated, “It has been a rough few years”.
OMC is currently running an annual deficit of $27-28 million that is largely outside of local control.
Hospital Proposition 1 will be on the upcoming August 6 ballot, where voters will be asked for a (maximum) property rate of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
Wolfe stated that OMC’s financial issue is not specific to our area but overwhelmingly prevalent in rural communities.
The last levy lid request was voted on and passed in 2008.