PORT TOWNSEND — Construction for Jefferson Healthcare’s new $98 million medical facility is on schedule to be completed on July 18.
“Lots of progress, both internal and external,” Jefferson Healthcare Chief Operating Officer Jacob Davidson said. “Most of the building is now sheetrocked or drywalled in, so the painters are progressing through the interior. Now as you walk through, you can see the waiting rooms, the exam rooms. It really looks like a building on the inside now.”
Jefferson Healthcare (JHC) will host an open house in the new building on Aug. 24.
“We’ll basically start seeing patients on the 25th,” Davidson said. “Now that won’t be everything. There are some (services) that are easy to get up and moving, and there are some that take a little longer.”
Between now and the August opening date, Abbott Construction will complete the interior; painting, installing the larger windows, installing doors, cabinetry, soap and paper towel dispensers and assist with the installation of some medical devices, Davidson said.
Davidson said Abbott will even install computer mounts. JHC’s Information Technology team will install 100-plus computers in the building, Davidson said.
A furniture company will install desks and furnish the building, Davidson said.
Following Abbott’s completions, Davidson’s facilities team will take over building maintenance, he said. His team has a dedicated electrician and an HVAC expert.
Davidson said he thinks his whole facilities team would say they can do plumbing work.
“When we get the keys, it’s their responsibility,” Davidson said. “They’ve been able to be a part of it, and they’ve even had a say in some of the things that we’ve done.”
The overall project financing is closer to almost $133.5 million, JHC CFO Tyler Freeman said. Freeman said the building itself can be seen variably as costing $98 million or more than $105 million.
It would be seen as $98 million taking into account $89.2 million in project funding, $7 million in project taxes and $1.82 million in 2025 capital improvement dollars.
The building costs total more than $105 million if you classify the capitalized interest as a building expense, he said.
The new 56,000-square-foot building will replace a 1965 30,000-square-foot building deemed seismically and structurally deficient. It is planned to house new services: radiation oncology, pulmonology, neurology and ear, nose and throat services (ENT).
“We have a radiation oncologist signed, we have a pulmonologist signed, we have a neurologist that’s started with us,” Davidson said. “ENT, we did have a candidate; unfortunately, they decided to stay home in California. We’re back looking to recruit for that position. We’re hopeful, we have a few candidates.”
The neurologist has been working mostly in telehealth for now, coming onsite every other week to give Botox injections for migraines, Davidson said.
Some already existing clinics and services will migrate to the new building, including dermatology, OB/GYN, MRI, hand and plastic, and wound care.
In addition to staffing those services with doctors, JHC is hiring support staffing as well, Davidson said.
“A lot of our attention now is shifting to recruiting the staff,” Davidson said. “Between now and September, our hope is to hire 75-ish new people to support the new building.”
Job listings for 77 positions can be found at https://jeffersonhealthcare.applicantpro.com/pages/careersbyjobtype.
Freeman wrote in an email that, with the influx of new employees, salaries, wages and benefits were budgeted to increase 17 percent, or $17.6 million in 2025. Maximum annual debt service after the project will have increased from $1.5 million to $2 million up to $8.8 million, Freeman added.
Davidson recommended JHC as a place of employment.
“I’ve been here seven years, my wife works here, I really do love Jefferson Healthcare,” he said. “It’s not only collaborative and team-oriented, but yeah, we’ve got great pay, great medical benefits. It truly is a community here.”
JHC is by far the largest employer in east Jefferson County and continues to grow, Davidson said.
Over the course of the build, challenges have presented themselves, but progress has been mostly smooth, Davidson said.
“It’s been quiet,” he said. “We have a weekly meeting and today we ended it in like 20 minutes because, knock on wood, things have been going so well.”
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
