Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) plans to raise $75 million to become self-sufficient in light of constantly decreasing government funding, CEO Scott Adams said.

The plan to raise the $75 million is part of a two-fold operation that the hospital is undertaking called Community Health 2020, Adams said.

“We are creating a self-sustaining and self-determining future,” Adams said. “The keystone of this project is philanthropy.”

Loss in government funding will result in a loss of programs for patients, Adams said. Community Relations Coordinator at PRH Alison Weigley said nurses could lose job security as well.

“We want to keep a high nurse to patient ratio,” Weigley said.

According to a feasibility study conducted by the hospital, 94 percent of participants thought the medical staff was effective or very effective, and 99 percent thought the nurses were effective or very effective.

Chief Development Officer of PRH and former WSU running back Rueben Mayes said the next steps after setting a funding goal are to assess and develop plans to move forward in creating and raising money for Community Health 2020.

“We need thought partners to team up with us in this,” Mayes said.

With the successful implementation of Community Health 2020, the hospital can continue to offer the same services while expanding and growing, Adams said.

With government funding cuts, other sources are needed, Weigley said. Adams said a local and philanthropic solution to this is best.

“We will be locally developed, locally supported and locally controlled,” Adams said. “And a quality hospital experience will remain what is offered at PRH.”

The second phase of Community Health 2020 is the construction of the Community Health and Leadership Pavilion, Adams said. The pavilion will house both the Women and Children’s Health Center and the Center for Learning and Innovation.

The Women and Children’s Health Center will include day care centers and other services to meet the needs of women and children, Adams said.

“Women make 80 percent of all health care decisions in America,” he said. “This center will impact a huge group that makes many decisions.”

The other goal of the center is to create a more comprehensive hospital, so patients can get all of the care they need in one place, Adams said.

The Center for Learning and Innovation will house a research and development program to create medical technologies and techniques that will be implemented at the hospital and possibly the world, Adams said.

The community Health and Leadership Pavilion project will cost about $40 million, Adams said.

Mayes said the overall $115 million philanthropic goal is feasible.

“We did a feasibility study to see if Community Health 2020 would work and got great feedback,” Mayes said.

With the high economy and stock market, timing is good to ask for donations, and the program has already raised $307,000 out of the $500,000 goal this year, Mayes said.

The most important thing in the success of the project was how people felt about the hospital, he said.

“We need to ask ourselves, what does the community think of all this?” Mayes said.