I am very surprised to read that the CEO of Whidbey General Hospital is so out of touch with reality, regarding the availability of funds to expand the hospital. Does he even know that for most people money is in short supply?
To put a bond issue on the ballot in the near future would be a waste of funds.
Mr. Mark Borden, director of the Emergency Department, made the statement that other hospitals have a better physical plant.
If Borden’s neighbor were to buy a new car would he do the same to “keep up with the Jones family?
I have personal experience with Whidbey General on various occasions and have spent time in a room with one other gentleman and did not suffer any problems with two people in a room.
The hospital as it is does a great job of serving Island County residents.
The one thing that Whidbey General needs to do is pay less attention to other hospitals’ physical structures and take a good look at its fee structure.
My experience with Island Hospital in Anacortes is that you can afford to go there. Many of the procedures that are done at each facility are identical only in the procedure itself. I have found that from personal experience, Whidbey General is up to 40 percent higher for the same procedure. The level of care is the same so why is Whidbey General so costly? Are the technicians more capable, is the equipment better, are the doctors and nurses better trained than at Island Hospital?
Could it be we are on an Island and therefore we can get away with charging more?
Could it be that Whidbey General has a high number of people from Island County show up at the ER and can’t pay therefore the ones that can pay end up paying more than a reasonable fee?
Things are tight as far as money goes in Island County Now or next year is not the time to gouge the taxpayer for more money to build a shiny new wing to add to the empire. I don’t think it will help on a resume when applying for a new position in the future.
From my experience Whidbey General is a great place to go to in an emergency, but if you have time to shop around there are less expensive options.
Larry Ogle
Coupeville
