Proposition 1 on the August ballot is a vital measure for the long-term health of Clallam County.
We are blessed with a medical provider in Olympic Medical Center that covers a wide range of services, including labor and delivery, emergency care, specialty care (cardiology, orthopedic, neurology, etc.) and intensive care.
If financial circumstances result in diminished services, making OMC a critical access hospital, the reduction in capacity and services provided would be disastrous for the community as a whole.
The existing levy has not been raised in 16 years, with costs and inflationary factors rising significantly over that period.
The community of Forks recently passed an identical levy ($0.75 per $1,000 in property valuation), and we can and must do the same.
One glaring inequity in medical cost reimbursement for Medicare services is the 80 percent rate allotted to OMC.
All other service providers (Jamestown clinic, NOHN, Forks and Port Townsend hospitals) are reimbursed at 100 percent.
This inequity needs to be corrected at the federal level; in the meantime, we have the opportunity to strengthen the financial foundation of our rural hospital with approval of this levy.
Please vote yes on Proposition 1 on your Aug. 6 ballot.
Keep local healthcare local.
Steve Deutermann
Port Angeles