The North Olympic Peninsula’s three hospital districts have teamed up to form a call center for patients in need of a specialist during the six-week closure of the Hood Canal Bridge.

Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles-Sequim, Jefferson Healthcare hospital in Port Townsend and Forks Community Hospital CEOs collaborated to form the centralized doctor-locator service. The free, 24-hour call center is already up and running, four-weeks before the bridge closes on May 1.

The number is 888-362-6260, or DOC-6260.

“This will direct consumers to professional and skilled medical staff available locally,” Rhonda Curry, Olympic Medical Center assistant administrator, said at Wednesday’s OMC commissioners meeting.

“This is the first effort at a call center. Many hospitals do this. It is our intention, if it is successful and if we hear from the community and the physicians that it’s a worthwhile effort, we are prepared at Olympic Medical Center to continue the call center past the duration of the closure.”

The three hospital districts will be responsible for the cost of the calls that come in from their districts. A tracking center will monitor the calls’ place of origin.

“It’s a centralized point of contact for community members from Forks hospital district, through ours, to Jefferson searching for a health care provider,” Curry said.

“Its been a really nice collaboration between the three public hospital districts.”