Letter: It’s time to dump Trios directors

In the last few days the transfer of Trios Hospital to RCCH/UW Medicine has been completed. Now there is one more bit of business that needs to be tidied up.

It is time for the Kennewick Public Hospital District to dissolve itself and stop the taxation that supports it. The district no longer serves a useful purpose. They claim they will provide some community medical education, help with Medicare payments, and indigent care. They collect $1.4 million a year of the public’s tax dollars for these efforts.

Education, not many people will be interested in classes on how to manage a hospital through bankruptcy. Medicare payment help, RCCH/UW Medicine are established profitable hospitals that can surely figure out how to bill Medicare. Indigent care, after the above items are paid for, along with salaries and administrative overhead, there will not be much money left for this cause.

Over the last few years, the district has not listened to their voters in regards to building the hospital. Perhaps the voters can organize a referendum to dissolve the district if the commissioners cannot make this logical and sensible move.