Voters will be asked to raise taxes for Bonners hospital

Boundary County voters on Tuesday, May 27, will be asked to approve a levy that will generate $335,000 annually for Boundary Community Hospital for two years.

If approved, the owner of a $150,000 home with a homeowner’s exemption would pay $34 annually for those two years, said Tina Wilson, community relations coordinator for the hospital. Homeowners qualify for the exemption if they live in the home.

Those without an exemption would pay $68 for the year.

The levy also would be used to:

• Replace beds, which were purchased 20 years ago from Sacred Heart in Spokane, Wash.

• Purchase new laundry equipment. BCH processes more than 600 pounds of laundry daily with equipment that’s more than 20 years old.

• Buy a gastroscope. Right now the hospital does colonoscopies, but cannot do the procedure that allows doctors to look down the throat.

• Upgrade the computer system to comply with federal billing requirements and to keep BCH connected to other health providers.

• A new operating table and anesthesia machine now that the rate of outpatient surgery has increased.

• A special X-Ray machine used during surgery. “This machine can pinpoint fine detail so you have less invasive surgery,” Wilson said.

“With the rising cost of health care, Boundary Community Hospital has always met the health care needs of our community efficiently and mindful of cost,” Craig Johnson, chief financial and executive officer for the hospital, said in a news release.

“Listening to our community, we are mindful of the desire for additional services,” Johnson continued. “This levy will help Boundary Community Hospital maintain its state of the art technology and continue to expand the services that we offer to our community.”