CAREERS
PAY YOUR BILL
PATIENT PORTAL
Your Hospital. Your Healthcare.
Nurturing good community health through local care
For us, living in a small town means personal, exceptional healthcare.
It means modern medical technology. It means access to primary care, emergency care, and specialized healthcare. It means growing our capacity so that we can care for our community today and tomorrow.
Comprehensive Community Healthcare
Local Long Term Care
A new long term care approach that provides a safe place for our loved ones to stay close to home. 15 beds with 24/ 7 access to hospital services right here in our community.
Updated Surgery
A modern space that will allow for more locally-based surgeries. Two operating rooms equipped to support modern technology. Four pre/ post operative rooms which will allow for increased volume, ef ciency and safety.
New Short Term Stay Beds
New inpatient hospital space creating places for individualized care for patients of all ages. Modern rooms designed for privacy, safety as well as a place for families to gather during hospital stays.
DISTRICT PROPERTY TAX CREDIT:
Klickitat Valley Health of ers a tax credit policy, which allows district taxpayers to receive a 100% refund of all the levy fees they pay to the hospital district through property taxes.
Specif cally, if a hospital district taxpayer uses any KVH services, the hospital will apply a full credit for the levy amount paid to the amount owed for KVH services received (Up to $500 in one year).
For example, if a homeowner pays $400 for the hospital levy on their Klickitat County property tax bill and uses KVH services, they can use that entire $400 as a credit toward their balance owed for any services anywhere in the KVH network.
Your Hospital.
Klickitat Valley Health was formed in 1949, giving Public Hospital District #1 a 73-year history of being a community hospital—owned and governed by local citizens.
Over the years, Klickitat Valley Health has deliberately chosen to keep our healthcare local as we provide care and services that are tailored to meet the unique needs of our community.
As the only healthcare in eastern Klickitat County, our hospital provides critical services to over 10,000 area residents.
Keep Our Healthcare Local.
We need to keep our healthcare local, to continue being able to better serve our patients in a timely manner and our staff needs space designed for the care they deliver. We must look ahead and provide a facility that is designed to meet the current and future needs of our community.
Realizing that a 1950s’ hospital can no longer solve the 21st-century needs of our community — Klickitat Valley Health has been actively planning and pursuing this project since 2015.
Community hospital ballot proposition.
Klickitat Valley Health’s Board of Commissioners has voted unanimously to adopt a resolution requesting a ballot proposition to be placed on the April 25, 2023 ballot. The proposition asks for the community’s financial support in order to move forward with the construction of a new hospital addition. The existing facility areas that support surgery and short stay patients will be repurposed for long term care, infusion therapy and wound care.
Benefits of an updated community hospital:
- Keeps care local.
- Creates local long term care.
- Improved access to specialty and surgical care that stays local.
- New Short Term Stay Beds designed for privacy and family support.
-
Create Local Long Term Care.
- - 15 long-term care beds in the current Short Term Stay/Inpatient unit
- - Long-term care patients will have access to all hospital services
- - Local long term care keeps families and patients connected to their community.
- - Emergency, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy and two, 24/7 medical providers.
There are currently no long-term care beds in Klickitat County, forcing families and patients to leave the community for necesary care. For many, long-term care will be the last home they have. Repurposing the currrent Short Term Stay (Inpatient) rooms for 15 long term care will help keep patients local, where friends and family can oer support during a vulnerable time in life.
The greater Goldendale region is largely made up of close-knit families, generations of farmers and land owners. It is a “do-it-yourself” culture – but there comes a time in our lives as we age when we have to rely on others – particularly with our healthcare needs.
-
Private patient rooms with private bathrooms and space for family to stay overnight.
- - Private patient rooms with space for family to stay overnight
- - Advanced technology in patient room for improved care
The Short Term Stay patient/hospital rooms will be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of your family throughout your healthcare experience. Patient rooms and Surgical Services are both on the same floor and have the same technology. When needed, two of the patient rooms can be double occupancy rooms and can become an ICU room if needed for stabilizing a patient.
Private patient rooms have space for family to stay overnight when conditions allow, and will have modern technology within the room for improved care. The new rooms will also be equipped for transitional care patients - or swing bed patients - who need extra time in a clinical environment before going home after suffering a stroke or other major health event .
-
Updated surgery and specialty care that stays local.
- - Larger surgical rooms needed for modern surgical technology & equipment.
- - Surgical Services has grown and now includes General Surgery, Orthopedics & Podiatry.
- - Surgeries are limited due to the current Operating Room (OR) space.
The OR/Surgery department will be updated and made more operationally efficient in the proposed additon. The new layout has 2 operating rooms and 4 Pre/Post rooms. After receiving anesthesia for a surgery or procedure, a patient is moved to one of the recovery rooms to recover and wake up.
With our KVH community-based surgeons on our medical sta and the various surgical specialties that they represent — general surgery, orthopaedics, and podiatry — a significant amount of equipment and supplies requires proper storage and space. As space requirements for equipment and technology are growing, increased Operating Room size is also greatly needed.
In the existing Operating Room, there is only one post operation recovering room. This creates a scheduling conflict when one patient is occupying this room and the next surgery needs to wait until the room is available. In the updated surgery proposal - with the addition of an additional operating room and four pre/post op recovery rooms - new technology and increased space will allow for more patients to be seen.
“In the current hospital, our operating rooms are very small and due to their age, can no longer be updated to meet the needs of current technology” said Dr. Jeannie MacGillivray, MD General Surgeon and Chief of Sta at Klickitat Valley Health. “Space is at a premium. There needs to be sufficient space for personnel, plus room to maneuver the patient.”
-
A 1950’s hospital can no longer solve the 21st-century needs of our community.
- - Our growing community: population, businesses, hospital use
- - Community care needs (surveys)
- - Current hospital facility limitations
Since the last major addition/renovation to Klickitat Valley Health was more than 20 years ago, the delivery of healthcare has changed—including requiring more room for patients, equipment for medical/technology needs, supplies, and more.
“While the existing hospital is clean and appears functional, the mechanical components of the at their maximum capacity,” said Jonathan Lewis, Director of Operations at KVH. “The mechanical aspects are at the end of useful life, with no capacity for expansion. New equipment is a responsible investment in our operational efficiency. It would allow our hospital to operate at a reduced cost when compared to our current building, as well as taking into consideration the costs for energy, technology, and infrastructure.”
With modern infrastructure — the proposed addition is designed to meet the current and future needs of our community.
Unique Patients
Served District Wide
Total Out Patient
Clinic Visits
Total Emergency
Room Visits
Total Number Of
KVH Employees
Total Number Of
KVH Providers
Of District Employees Live
In Klickitat County.
Added annually to the local economy through direct and secondary wages & benef ts.
Diagnostic Imaging Scans:
(X-rays, MRI, CT, Ultrasound,
Mammography & Echocardiograms)
Hospital Laboratory tests.
KVH Patients Are Insured by Medicare/Medicaid
Total Short Term Hospital Days
Charity Care Awarded
to KVH Patients
Number Of Long-Term Care Beds In County
Shortage Of Long-Term
Care Beds in County
Community FAQ’s
“What will you do with the existing surgery & existing patient beds?”
The current operating room, procedure room and surgical patient exam rooms will be repurposed to expand Infusion Therapy and Wound Care services.
The current short stay patient rooms will be renovated and repurposed for 15 long term care beds. The benefits of having long-term care in the hospital include the availability of all hospital services: Physical Therapy, Emergency Care, Lab and other support services necessary for supporting long-term care patients.
“Could you wait until inflation goes down to do this addition and upgrade?”
Inflation won’t last forever, but it won’t go backwards either. Commodity prices for materials and supplies are not going down in the foreseeable future. Construction costs average 5% annual inflation.
The need for long term care only continues to grow as more of our rural population ages and requires this level of care.
Surgery can’t wait either. In the existing hospital, there is only one operating room, one procedure room and one post operation recovery room. This limits access to surgical options and leads to scheduling backups.
“How will the hospital bond affect my property taxes?”
The community investment in expanded facilities and services will be repaid through annual property taxes at an estimated rate of 79 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Property owners who utilize KVH services can have their property tax payment (up to $500 annually) applied to their KVH bill. Download the form to apply for proprety tax credit (If froms does not open, check your DOWNLOAD folder.)
About the tax rebate: Why increase my property tax if you’re just going to give it back?
By expanding services, we are able to provide care to more patients, keeping care local and viable.