Lately, there have been negative comments about Whidbey General Hospital on the opinion pages of our local newspapers. One went so far as to refer to our new lobby as “opulent” and cynically tried to make a case that our remodel was the culprit for our current financial difficulties.

Please allow me a chance to set the record straight.

Several years ago a bond was approved to expand/remodel the outpatient services and lobby area. Although we are in financial difficulty today, we had no choice but to continue/complete the project for which bond dollars were designated. There is no correlation between the remodel which was completed with community approved bond monies and our current financial difficulties.

There is a definite correlation however, to our improved abilities to meet the needs of our patients. Patient privacy issues, department growth issues, and space needs were addressed. Most of the feedback from our community has been overwhelmingly positive about the changes we have put in place.

Trish Rose

Coupeville