RITZVILLE, Wash. — East Adams Rural Healthcare in Ritzville owes more than $10 million and may close or file bankruptcy in the next few months.
The hospital’s closure would put 108 jobs at risk and leave residents without nearby emergency care.
“We are working on absolutely everything we can currently to ensure that doesn’t happen,” said Todd Nida, interim CEO.
If the hospital shuts down, the nearest emergency room is 45 minutes away.
Nancy Gutierrez, a medical technician at the hospital, said she chose to work there because of the quality of care.
“This one really was the one that I wanted to settle down in because of their patient care. They’re wonderful. The staff. Everybody,” Gutierrez said.
Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic.
“You know we still have hope. We still have hope,” she said. “I mean, that’s going to impact us a lot. There’s 108 employees that are counting they have employment here.”
Nida blames past leadership for the financial problems.
“So we’re trying to correct what has happened in the past and move forward with a plan to keep us viable,” he said.
The hospital has completed audits for 2022 and 2023 and is nearly finished with 2024.
“That has kept us functional. Yeah. And obviously now that we’ve completed the audits from 22 and 23 and we’re nearly finished with 24, we have a very clear picture now of what our financial state is,” Nida said.
The hospital also faced a fraud investigation earlier this year. An accounting clerk took more than $30,000.
“What I would like the community to understand most is that what happened here in the past is not who we are moving forward,” Nida said.
The hospital received state funding this year to stay open, but needs more from external sources to survive.
Hospital leaders will host a town hall on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Legion Hall in Ritzville. They will answer community questions about the hospital’s future.
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