Highlight on Central Washington Health Care

Op-Ed

Highlight on Central Washington Health Care

Weekly Column by Congressman Doc Hastings

I recently spent two weeks traveling in Central Washington to discuss health care. I traveled to Cashmere, Chelan, Ephrata, Goldendale, Moses Lake, Othello, Prosser, Quincy, Sunnyside, Toppenish, Wenatchee, White Salmon, Yakima and other communities to visit the hospitals, health centers, pharmacies, health equipment providers and other facilities that provide care in our region.

The many newly expanded treatment options were impressive. Sunnyside Community Hospital has a new state of the art emergency room. Kennewick General Hospital has a new Senior Health Care Clinic. The Quincy Valley Medical Center and Othello Community Hospital are both newly renovated. And the Tri-Cities Cancer Center has new imaging technology.

Other local facilities are making plans to expand. The Lake Chelan Community Hospital has plans for a new wellness program that would focus on preventative care, and Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco is building a new women and children's clinic. Skyline Hospital also has expansion plans.

At Toppenish Community Hospital and Yakima Regional I had the opportunity to meet with new hospital administrators. And at Klickitat Valley Hospital the staff showed me their highly-regarded emergency room and advanced imaging technology.

In Yakima, I got a first hand look at Washington's first new medical school in 70 years - Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. The osteopathic medical school admitted its first incoming class this year. Increasing the number of doctors trained in rural areas is an excellent way to bring more medical professionals to underserved communities.

I also visited the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center and its Moses Lake and East Wenatchee clinics. I've been working with the Medical Center to protect it from proposals in Congress that would ban doctor-owned hospitals and threaten the facility.

These are just a few of the meetings and tours I participated in. Impressive work is being done by Central Washington health care providers, but they do face challenges. Proper Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government, a shortage of critical care hospital beds and difficulty recruiting doctors and nurses are issues that come up throughout our area.

Having the expert views of those who provide health care day-in and day-out provides me with information that is key to helping ensure that local concerns are addressed as federal health policy proposals make their way through Congress.

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