Polk County Commissioners Approve Letter Supporting West Valley Hospital Expansion

Polk County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 16 unanimously approved a letter of support asking Gov. Tina Kotek and Dr. Sejal Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority, to consider Salem Health’s proposed modernization and expansion of West Valley Hospital in Dallas for federal rural health transformation funding.

The letter request comes as Congress considered a federal bill referred to in the presentation as “HR 1,” which the presenter said would create a temporary rural health transformation fund. Ruth Miles, government relations for Salem Health, told the commissioners the project is a four‑phase effort that Salem Health plans to begin next year and that the organization estimates capital construction at about $74,500,000 for all phases.

Miles said West Valley Hospital “is a critical access hospital and a level 4 trauma center.” She told the board the hospital has expanded to a licensed capacity of 25 med‑surg beds and has upgraded clinic space and laboratory equipment in recent years. Miles said the first phase — which she described as the most critical — would enlarge the emergency department, expand the roof footprint, add a new ambulance bay and create a clarified public entrance, and upgrade the hospital’s energy plant to support an expanded footprint.

Miles said the project is intended to serve Polk County and nearby rural communities, and that most communities in the county are within a 30‑minute drive of West Valley. She said the proposed federal funding is intended to support transformation projects that can begin soon and include components executable within 12 to 24 months. Miles also said local legislators have expressed support: “Representative Scharf asked me to let you know that she had written a lovely letter of support to the governor,” Miles said.

Commissioners asked about the project cost, sustainability of additional staffing after one‑time construction funds and whether the proposal would support emergency medical services. Miles said the $74,500,000 figure is the organization’s capital estimate for all phases and that staffing needs would likely grow if the facility footprint expands. On EMS, she said Salem Health’s EMS partners were involved in high‑level design and would be part of further scoping, but she did not make a formal organizational commitment on behalf of Salem Health.

One commissioner voiced strong personal support during discussion, saying, “I thoroughly and wholeheartedly endorse what you’re doing,” and thanked Salem Health for its local investments. Commissioners also noted that federal and state funds would be competitive and that details about how much Oregon would receive remained uncertain. Board members asked Miles to provide their staff with the project phases; Miles said the phased plan was not publicly posted but that she would send it to county staff and the commissioners.

Action: A motion to approve the letter of support as presented was moved, seconded and passed unanimously. The meeting record shows the motion passed by voice vote; the commissioners in favor responded “aye.” The agenda motion text recorded in the transcript was “I move to approve letter of support as presented.” The mover and seconder were not identified by name in the transcript. Outcome: approved (voice vote).

Next steps described on the record: Miles said Salem Health has already submitted the project to the Oregon Health Authority for consideration and that a local endorsement would help the project’s competitiveness. Miles said the project is scheduled to begin next year regardless of state or federal funding outcomes but that state or federal investment would provide additional financial flexibility. The board did not set further formal direction beyond approving the letter of support.

Funding, timeline and public materials: Miles said the federal bill discussed would appropriate a large temporary rural health transformation fund and that states would apply with spending plans subject to criteria; she said those CMS criteria were not yet published. She described the project timeline as a multiphase effort expected to unfold over four phases spanning about five to seven years “depending on supply chain and the financial environment and a whole host of other unknowns.” Miles said the detailed phase plans are subject to community and partner input and may change.