The effort was sparked by an announcement last year that Mason County Public Hospital District No. 1 commissioners were considering excluding parts of North Mason via redistricting, which would include closing a clinic the district currently operates in Belfair. The district also includes a hospital in Shelton and two other clinics.

In June, the Mason County Commission voted to approve a resolution to drop the Belfair, Tahuya and Dewatto voting precincts from Mason County Public Hospital District No. 1. According to Bob Appel, superintendent of the hospital district, the resolution became effective immediately, but the tax will continue to be collected from those residents through 2008 (the resolution would have had to be approved in March in order for the collection to stop this year). Appel said the estimated taxes collected from that area in 2006 were $320,000.

When the hospital district’s discussion about redistricting was first made public last year, it sparked passionate and concerned community reaction. Some residents speculated the move was politically motivated because Belfair residents may hinder efforts to pass a levy, and the hospital district commissioners later conceded that was part of their motivation.

“In our strategic plain… we recognized we needed a bond,” Appel said. “A 2003 bond was defeated, and we felt we couldn’t pass a bond issue with the current configuration of the district.” Hospital commissioners voted in January to approve the redistricting. The move prompted a group of residents to start an effort to create a new hospital district comprised of the excluded areas, as well as discussions with Harrison about filling in the gap once the Belfair clinic is closed at the end of 2008.

Harrison is doing feasibility studies and working with consultants to present a proposal to CEO Scott Bosch in the next few months, said Gene Burwell, business manager of Harrison’s South Kitsap clinic. Preliminary plans include urgent and primary care services, laboratory and X-ray, as well as bringing in complementary services such as physical therapy.

“We’re pleased to have this opportunity,” Burwell said. “We’ll begin more specific plans in the next few weeks.”

Frank Kenny, executive director of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce, said that while the chamber had not taken a position on the redistricting issue previously, it supports “the entire package” that includes the creation of a second district and bringing Harrison into the community. “We could have a substantial improvement in the delivery of medical services in North Mason County, over and above what we have now,” he said, adding that a new Harrison medical building would be “the jewel of the North End.” “It will be a big deal for us,” he said.

The citizens committee spearheading the creation of Public Hospital District No. 2 has gathered enough petition signatures to put the measure on the November ballot. The signatures must be verified by the county auditor’s office, and the county commissioners must hold a public hearing. The measure would require a 50 percent vote plus one to pass.

District 1 taxes at the rate of 34 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, and Harrison officials have stated that the taxation level in the new district would not need to be increased.

Burwell said Harrison will maintain its interest in opening a clinic regardless of the outcome of the measure in November, but without taxes it would have to limit the services it provides. The major focus is on staffing an urgent care facility, he said, and keeping it open 12 hours a day, 365 days a year would require some subsidy. “Either way, our plan is to provide something in the community,” he said.

Residents who are no longer part of District 1 can still use the Shelton hospital even though they would no longer pay taxes for it after 2008. However, many North Mason residents are already using Harrison services in Kitsap including the Bremerton hospital.

“We appreciate people coming together to collaborate on this effort, and people in the North End being able to elect their own (hospital commissioners) and those in District 1 to elect theirs. It’s good for both parts of the county,” Appel said.