I am writing to encourage voters to support the coming drive to improve our hospital. Jense and Florence Thompson built the low level portion in the sixties. It has served exceptionally well for many years.
There was a crisis in the late 1979 when our hospital was about to close for financial reasons. A hospital consultant came here from Chicago and gave us a solution to the problems.
No. 1. Have the doctors leave their downtown offices, build a new clinic adjacent to the hospital and have the hospital do all lab and X-rays. That would provide enough money to keep the hospital open.
No. 2. The hospital had no money to buy land next to the hospital. The land was owned by the school district and would have to be declared surplus and put up for bids. However, the community hospital could buy it without a public bid. Solution? The doctors, Burgoyne, Zook, Huber and Nebel gave the money to the hospital so they could buy the property and lease it back to the doctors to build the clinics. The doctors vacated their offices, gave up lab and X-rays and hired Architects Beckwith and Spangler to draw the plans. The doctors secured a bank loan and built the present Clinic complex knowing they could never own their own building. They had to start paying rent to pay off the bank loan. On the other plus side, neither the patients nor the doctors would have to drive to Everett for hospital care.
Now is the time for all of us to step up to the plate and hit a home run. At ballot time vote Yes to improve our Arlington Hospital.
Ben Burgoyne, M.D.
Lake Stevens