Jefferson Healthcare to expand south Jefferson County services

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 9, 2026

PORT LUDLOW — Jefferson Healthcare has been awarded $1 million to go toward imaging equipment in a Port Ludlow facility it acquired last year.

The money will go toward equipment purchases, which could include an MRI machine, an ultrasound and an X-ray machine.

“Right now we’ve just got primary care and then our retail pharmacy (in Port Ludlow),” Jefferson Healthcare COO Jake Davidson said. “If we bring certain modalities and then specialty clinics closer to home, the likelihood of our patients using it is even higher. Thirty minutes into Port Townsend isn’t always easy. We’re really, really excited about that.”

The funding, awarded in January, was a part of a larger appropriations package which included almost $18 million for projects across U.S. Rep. Emily Randall’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap and Grays Harbor counties.

Having imaging services nearby could mean the difference between patients receiving life-saving diagnoses early or not, said Randall, D-Port Orchard.

The new imaging center, which is expected to serve about 3,000 patients, is currently in the design phase, Davidson said.

The facility, formerly a Kitsap Bank branch, is 3,500 square feet and was acquired for $825,000. Randall toured the facility on Tuesday before touring Jefferson County’s new sewer project and visiting the Makah Tribe’s senior center.

“We walked through the old bank building and they painted a picture for us about the construction and real capacity increase for patients,” Randall said. “Not just even in Jefferson County. I think there is potential for their neighbors from across the (Hood) canal bridge to come over because of easier access to appointments.”

Half of the new building will be used for imaging and the other half is planned to be used to bring specialists from Jefferson Healthcare’s (JH’s) main Port Townsend campus.

Davidson said JH plans to bring dermatology and urology specialists to the three or four exam rooms that likely will be set aside for visiting specialists. He noted that JH is interested in bringing OB-GYN, cardiology and orthopedics as well, but they have yet to gauge interest from their providers.

While Jefferson County originally requested $2.62 million, the funding will kick start the project, which is hoped to be ready for patients by the middle of 2027, Davidson said.

“Getting our project advanced was a pretty fraught process,” said Elise Wright, JH’s population health and government advocacy manager. “My understanding is that pretty much all the projects that were put forward didn’t get their full ask. A million dollars is still significant and is going to go a long ways in helping us make these purchases.”

“We anticipated, given the funding climate that we’re in, and given the priorities of the majority that are in Congress, that many of our asks would come in at a lower amount,” Randall said.

Randall and her office discussed with those requesting funds whether or not partial funding would still be impactful to their projects, she said.

“It is hard. It’s a challenge,” she said. “At a time when this majority and this presidential administration say that we don’t have enough money for healthcare operations, but we have trillions of dollars to spend on war, there are decisions that are being made about how much to invest in appropriations for important, life-saving projects like this one.”

Wright said the money has been obligated and will be reimbursed after JH makes the purchases.

The funding, which came from Congress-directed Community Project Funding and is being administered through the USDA’s Washington Rural Development state office, was one of 15 requests supported by Randall.

All 15 requests were awarded with recipients including Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, the Hoh Tribe, the Makah Tribe and others in Grays Harbor and Kitsap counties.

A list of recipients showed OMC will receive $1 million to expand its telehealth services. The Makah Tribe will receive $1.2 million to build durable, high-quality housing. The Hoh Indian Tribe will receive $3.1 million to build an evacuation and community center where people can go in the case of tsunamis.

Other local projects include $850,000 for the č̕ixʷícən — Tse-whit-zen — Protection Area Restoration in Port Angeles to remove derelict infrastructure and return the site to a nonindustrial condition.

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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com