Votes for PRH bond still being counted

Proposition One must have 3,745 votes with 60 percent in favor

BENJAMIN WHITE, Evergreen reporter

Votes for the Nov. 5 elections around the county are still being tallied by the county auditor offices. Among the votes being counted are the votes for Proposition One, the Pullman Regional Hospital bond.

As of around 7 p.m. on Thursday, there had been 3,668 votes on Proposition One that had been counted, 59.6 percent in favor and 40.4 opposed.

According to The Daily Evergreen, for Proposition One to pass, 3,745 votes must be counted and 60 percent must be in favor.

“We’re staying hopeful, the community sees the need,” said Tricia Grantham, president of the PRH board of commissioners.

Grantham said the election is not validated until Nov. 26, meaning there is still time until the results of the election are finalized.

She said the bond will place a 10 percent tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value for residents inside Pullman city limits. The collection of new taxes would start in 2021.

If passed, the money collected will be directed toward the 45,000 square feet of land the hospital intends to develop into new outpatient services and the new electronic medical record system, EPIC, according to The Daily Evergreen.

The new record system will provide one universal medical record that can be accessed by other hospitals that patients visit.

According to literature provided by PRH, the current plan is to break ground on the new facilities in 2021 and it is expected to be completed in 2022.

If the bond passed, PRH and WSU can continue their partnership, looking to begin a medical residency program that will benefit students and Pullman locals, according to The Daily Evergreen.

The hospital plans on establishing a residency program, which will train twelve medical students at a time in its full capacity.