LETTER: Yes on hospital levy

On July 17, ballots will be mailed to Clallam County voters.

On the ballot will be a request to increase Clallam County Hospital District No. 2’s levy from 44 cents per $1,000 to a maximum of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Why vote yes?

The current levy was approved in 2008.

Operational costs have increased in the past 16 years.

Levy collections currently cover only 2 percent of Olympic Medical Center’s total budget.

The hospital needs our local support.

OMC is the only level III trauma center on the Olympic Peninsula.

Level III trauma centers provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care and stabilization of injured patients.

Forks Community Hospital and Jefferson Healthcare are level IV trauma centers and do not have the same capacity to respond to emergencies as OMC.

Insurance, both governmental and private payments, cover only 85 percent of the actual cost of care.

If your home is valued at $300,000, your monthly cost will increase by $11.

Having access to a local quality hospital is worth that sacrifice.

And if you are on very limited income, the county has a program to provide property assessment relief.

I have been able to use the facilities of our hospital for imaging, short stay and in-patient surgery and for emergency laboratory services.

I have always received professional treatment offered with a smile and excellent care.

Let’s unite to support our publicly owned and operated local hospital.

Please vote yes on the OMC levy this summer.

Mary Wegmann

Port Angeles