To the Residents of Public Hospital District #304:

The upcoming merger of Skagit Valley Hospital and Skagit Valley Medical Center has presented an unusual challenge for our district. We would like to clarify this issue and announce a decision we made at our May 27 meeting.

When the merger between Skagit Valley Hospital and Skagit Valley Medical Center is complete, the physicians currently employed by Skagit Valley Medical Center will be employees of another hospital district (Skagit Valley Hospital represents Public Hospital District #1). For the protection of taxpayers’ investments and each district’s resources, state law prevents hospital districts from conducting business within the boundaries of another district, without the express permission of that district.

There are currently six physicians located within our district who will soon become employees of Skagit Valley Hospital/Public Hospital District #1. We anticipate that the patients of those physicians will then most likely be referred to Mount Vernon for diagnostics, surgery, lab, and other medical services. This loss of revenue represents a drain on our hospital district that is unacceptable.

Therefore, we have made the decision to not grant permission to Skagit Valley Hospital/Public Hospital District #1 to conduct business within our District #304 boundaries.

We have the deepest respect for all physicians, especially those we have worked alongside for many years. We did not arrive at this decision easily. We have offered to employ these physicians at United General Hospital, and have made other attempts to mitigate the situation, to no avail.

Our responsibility is to the people who pay taxes to maintain United General Hospital. You have entrusted us to make healthcare accessible to everyone within our district. With that in mind, we are actively recruiting physicians and specialists to join our team at United. The new Specialty Clinic operated by PeaceHealth Medical Group is an example of our progress.  Other new physicians and services will soon follow. This will allow the majority of diagnostics, surgery, lab, and other medical care to be provided right here at United.

We realize that some of you may have to make new choices about where to seek your medical care and we regret any inconvenience that may cause. We also know there may be rumors and conflicting reports about the business decisions being made within the two hospital districts. Please know that we are working conscientiously to provide you with high-quality healthcare close to home. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.

If you have questions or comments, please contact us at (360) 856-7112, or administration@unitedgeneral.org.

Commissioners of Public Hospital District #304

Dan Garcia, M.D.                  Gary Kent

Charles S. Ruhl             Robert Stanley               David Walker

Public Hospital District #304 is served by United General Hospital.  Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our patients, employees, and residents of the communities we serve, by providing high-quality patient care and health services in a warm and caring environment.