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Community needs to support struggling hospital
We will vote yes April 23rd on the special levy to increase taxes for the Valley General
Hospital in Monroe. Our current tax rate support to the community hospital is the lowest
in the state and the hospital is struggling as a result.
Moving to this area 20 years ago, one of the factors we considered was having
a hospital facility nearby. We have used the hospital for routine prevention
tests, planned operations, an emergency operation and accidents that required
medical attention. Each time, we were grateful that we did not have to worry about
the traffic on Highway 2 or Highway 522 to get medical aid. The care, concern
and expert attention at Valley General Hospital made us very glad that we live in a
community that values health care.
The recent coalition formed between Evergreen Hospital and Valley General Hospital
will help with cutting costs on buying medical supplies in volume and sharing doctors
to provide the community with additional medical providers. Unfortunately, Evergreen
is also a community owned hospital and does not have funds to support another
hospital. We have a jewel in our community and we need to recognize the importance
of sustaining it.
Martha de Lisle and Ron de Lisle
Snohomish
john cherney
March 18, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Are you for real? More taxes? NO…..
Nada Dyson
March 25, 2013 at 6:19 pm
YES, this is for real. Either you’re supporting the Monroe Community with a small price of $75.00, or less, one time shot or this Local Hospital will no longer exsist. OR take the family up skiing @ Stevens Pass, costing far more then that, and hope that no one falls and breaks a limb or worse and needs to have hospital care immediately, meaning that YOU (for a fact) will DRIVE another 45+ miles AFTER Monroe FROM Stevens Pass, to another hospital. OR, How about helping your brother/friend move for the weekend to an outlining town, and you say SURE, you have no problem with that, you’re free that weekend. So you go Fill up your full size “double tank” Man (pickup) truck of 25 gallon tanks each, that would be @ $3.85 per gallon, regular gas (Diesel is far more) = to $96.25 EACH tank x 2 = $192.50. That’s an awfully great brother/friend. This is TWICE the amount of a $75.00 OR LESS then what is being asked for. You’d better keep them tanks full, cause it will take that drive to get to your OTHER hospital of choice! Or maybe your other TRUCK is a Prius?
IF YOU don’t need the hospital, fine, but there are many OTHER community members that rely on this LOCAL hospital for their needs, especially those who don’t/can’t drive that distance. Will you say NAY for the sake of THEY? We all spend alot of EXTRA $$ on stuff, but this Stuff is the Important Stuff… Please think about it…
Mark Cunningham
March 19, 2013 at 11:19 am
I moved to Monroe in 1976, a young buck, immune to danger, who would live forever. In those days we called it “Death Valley Hospital”, a moniker only the sarcastic young could come up with.
Over the years the taxpayers, volunteers and civic leaders have sacrificed their time and money to build Valley General into the fine regional facility that it is. A community the size of the Monroe area, without a hospital, has no soul.
If you compare the Schools to the Hospital, the schools, unfortunately provide a decreasing quality in their product. The Hospital provides success in every case, even when the patient leaves by the rear doors, Valley General was their best hope for recovery.
That last person who should advise you on voting for a tax increase, is a former resident of Monroe, I would like to close with, a local hospital reflects the health of the community and benefits all citizens, young and old. Vote your your conscience and do the right thing.
Margaret
March 31, 2013 at 1:47 pm
I dont think people realize how important small hospitals in more rural areas are. They have to provide services like emergency, imaging and lab that are modern and state of the art just like big hospitals with millions of dollar budgets. Let me tell you my familes story. My brother was up camping in Skagit in 1995. He sufered a brain aneurysm. The ambulance transported him to Skagit hospital where he was diagnosed and stabilized. He was then airlifted to Harborview where he underwent brain surgery. He would have died without a smaller hospital being there to make sure he was stabile enough to make the journey. Isnt this the service we all want? How many of you drive Hwy2? Even a once a year trip could result in you needing Valley general. Your life or your loved ones life may depend on it!