Keeping healthcare local is critical

In our recently adopted Community Health Needs Assessment, several needs were identified by community members. We heard you. Among those needs identified were increased access to services — specifically, specialty medical and behavioral health needs. 

Skyline intends to respond to these needs by increasing our capabilities to keep more care local. To help accomplish those goals set by our community, the publicly elected commissioners of Skyline Hospital have proposed a levy lid lift on the April 28 special election ballot.

The work has already begun by hiring new physicians like Ryan Petering and Steve Matous. Dr. Petering is dually trained in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine, and Dr. Matous is Skyline’s second General Surgeon, joining Dr. Tyler Mittelstaedt. Hiring Dr. Matous allows Skyline to provide better surgical coverage for our community, especially our emergency department. We can and need to do more.

Keeping more care local helps our residents, and it also help our broader healthcare system. District residents are currently taxed at 0.46 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, and commissioners are requesting a 0.75-cent rate, beginning in 2027.

If passed, Hospital Proposition 1 would expanded surgical and specialty care services to meet the changing needs of our local population. This includes lifesaving inpatient dialysis and interventional radiology / pain management without having to travel, along with the latest in MRI, CT and other imaging technologies that integrate with your care.

Providing those services, however, requires growing local careers, so the proposition would provide new jobs and training opportunities, ensuring those who provide care get to live and work right here in our community.

New and expanded therapy options for our most treasured family members are possible as well. For the first time, Skyline kids wouldn’t have to leave for the care that helps them grow and thrive right here at home.

We have a responsibility to accommodate this growth in a responsible and sustainable fashion.  While our services produce revenue, they do not always cover their costs in our rural community. Skyline Health never turns anyone away for an inability to pay. In fact, in 2025, Skyline provided approximately $1.8 million of free care.

A more capable Skyline Public Hospital District means fewer transportation barriers, more care delivered to you in your community, and more local jobs supporting the local economy. Simply, it keeps care local.

Learn more at myskylinehealth.org/about-us/levy-lid-lift (2026 Levy Lid Lift Frequently Asked Questions); you can also see Skyline’s 2025 Value Report at the same address.

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Matt Kollman is chief executive officer of Skyline Health in White Salmon.