Candidates for Hospital District 304 Spotlight Funding, PeaceHealth Partnership and Service Navigation

Three candidates for Sedro‑Woolley-area Hospital District 304 outlined priorities and concerns at a League of Women Voters forum, focusing on the district’s partnership with PeaceHealth, preserving programs funded outside clinical care and preparing for possible state and federal funding cuts. Ellen DeJong, Germaine Kornegay and incumbent Robert Stanley each said the elected board does not run clinical care but is responsible for community and human services the district funds.

The district’s role and relationship with PeaceHealth drew repeated attention. Germaine Kornegay, candidate for Hospital District 304, said the two entities “partner” and that a PeaceHealth representative often attends commission meetings and provides input. Kornegay added that PeaceHealth also “provides some funding for the programs that United General provides.”

Robert Stanley emphasized the board’s fiscal oversight and the importance of grant revenue. Stanley, a pharmacist and long‑time commissioner, said most district services rely on grants and that taxpayer support covers uncompensated care. He told the forum the partnership with PeaceHealth has allowed the district to access specialists and stronger clinical services at nearby hospitals.

Ellen DeJong, a board‑certified family practice physician and candidate, said the board’s principal responsibilities include watching that PeaceHealth “is doing what they promised” and preserving non‑clinical services such as nutrition support, behavioral health, hospice and diabetes care. “The bigger part of the board’s job is to continue all those extra services,” DeJong said.

Candidates named financial uncertainty and navigation between organizations as pressing issues. DeJong and Kornegay both singled out potential Medicare and Medicaid funding changes; Kornegay said she’d like to see a larger “rainy day fund” and a clear plan for growing reserves. Kornegay also raised confusion residents face when deciding whether to contact United General or PeaceHealth for particular problems, and said she would work to clarify the paths for help.

Stanley pointed to behavioral‑health access and insurance shortfalls, saying, “the insurance companies aren’t doing their share,” and warning that people without treatment options may end up on the street, in jail, or in emergency rooms. Stanley also noted recent capital investments tied to PeaceHealth: “Our cancer center…we just spent $14,000,000 to make sure we had the best in radiation therapy,” he said.

Candidates addressed taxation and budgeting in the district. Stanley described the district’s tax burden as low and urged continued reliance on grants; in his remarks he said taxes for a typical home in the district amount to about $60 a year. Kornegay and DeJong both said they want to maintain low tax rates while protecting effective programs. DeJong called for proactive fundraising and fiscal oversight so programs aren’t lost “with funding.”

There were no formal actions at the forum. The event was a candidate forum for voters to compare priorities; candidates answered moderator questions about the board’s role, taxes, current challenges and their qualifications.

The candidates urged voters to review UnitedGeneral.org and PeaceHealth.org for program details and to consider how the district’s non‑clinical services support families. The election for Hospital District 304 commissioner will be decided on the ballot; forum attendees were encouraged to vote by the August 5 deadline mentioned by the moderator.