PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson Healthcare’s hospital expansion project has received a $2 million boost from the federal government specifically for services to rural seniors.
The funding will go toward creating a new clinic space and 10 new patient exam rooms for pulmonology, neurology, ear, nose and throat (ENT) and geriatrics care for seniors at Jefferson Healthcare’s campus in Port Townsend.
“With seniors making up over one-third of our community, and a significant number having to travel over an hour to seek these health care services, Jefferson Healthcare is excited to be able to offer these specialties and support the overall health of our population,” CEO Mike Glenn said in a press release.
Jefferson Healthcare is currently undergoing a $96 million renovation, which broke ground in September and is expected to be completed in summer 2025. The project was estimated to cost roughly $84 million last year, but those estimates have increased due to rising costs related to inflation, said Daniel Schafer, marketing and communications director for Jefferson Healthcare.
The $2 million announced Friday will go to Jefferson Healthcare’s Rural Seniors Project, aimed at providing local care for seniors.
Jefferson Healthcare also received $4 million in state support and a $2.5 million federal appropriation from 2023, Glenn said.
“In addition, the Jefferson Healthcare Foundation is three-quarters of the way to their goal of raising $2.5 million to help pay for a linear accelerator, which will bring radiation therapy to the Olympic Peninsula,” Glenn said. “These efforts have combined to make our campus expansion and modernization project cost $11 million less for Jefferson County residents.”
The funding had been requested in a Community Project Funding grant from U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, and included in an appropriations bill passed by the Senate on Friday.
“This project is a vital step forward in bridging the health care access gap,” Kilmer said in a statement. “It’s about ensuring that our aging population receives the comprehensive care they deserve, close to home.”
Kilmer’s office announced several Community Project Funding grants earlier this month following the passage of a $460 billion spending package passed by Congress, but the Jefferson Healthcare clinic was listed among the projects not funded.
The project was included in a subsequent $1.2 trillion spending bill passed by the Senate late Friday evening and signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown.
Jefferson Healthcare’s renovation includes the demolition and replacement of a hospital building that was constructed in 1965. The project will provide new and expanded services to Jefferson County.
New services to be provided by the expansion project include a linear accelerator and radiation oncology, ENT services, neurology, pulmonology and an ambulatory surgery center.
Expanded service areas include medical oncology, the dermatology clinic, the wound clinic, the express care clinic and the obstetrics and gynecology clinic.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
