Editor,
Fifty million dollars is a lot of money, and 25 years is a long time.
I know firsthand that it is extremely unpopular to speak out against our local hospital.
The $50 million was a rough estimate when the bond was last proposed and it still is. Nowhere have I read a detailed plan of how exactly this money would be used.
How is WGH “our” hospital? Is it “ours” because our tax dollars go to support it? Maybe it is because “our” hospital is one of the largest employers on the island?
This hospital does not need to be publicly funded at all; public hospital districts are a dying breed in Washington state, and for good reason. Hospitals thrive and serve their patients better by merging and affiliating with other hospitals that are well known for their high quality of medical care and provide oversight.
Though many good people work at WGH, the hospital is decidedly not well known for its high quality care. Why is WGH so against a merger or affiliation? Why is local control so important to “our” hospital?
Ah, the $50 million question.
Like anyone else, I want a good hospital close to home, but $50 million from the taxpayers in not the only solution. Please consider the following before following the yellow signs down the brick road:
-Why do tests and procedures at WGH cost more than at any other hospital in the region?
-Why does WGH have to be a publicly funded hospital, when most hospitals are moving away from this model?
-Why does WGH dislike anyone questioning or investigating them, and why have they been so quiet since the last bond failed?
-Why have so many of the executives and doctors left WGH over the last three years?
-Providence, Virginia Mason, Swedish, etc., are all excellent hospitals that thrive without hospital bonds. A good hospital is able to support itself and expand.
-Have you seen how well WGH manages its money? WGH manages its money very poorly. Have you noticed the fines they have had to pay? Do you know the salary of the hospital’s CEO, or for that matter, do you know how much of WGH’s money goes to large Seattle law firms?
It is important that you vote.
If you do choose to vote “no,” be sure to darken in the box as instructed. If you choose to believe the yellow signs, a check in the “yes” box is just fine.
E.E. Borden
Coupeville
