16,043. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau; General Population, Table 1, for respective years.)  Although the population appears to have grown at a rate of some 2.3% annually over the intervening 10 year period, it is important to consider that for a significant portion of that population, St. Helens is simply their "dormitory" whose main focus, other than housing, remains the Portland area.

A source at Boise, currently the largest employer in the service area, stated that its number of employees has declined by some 15% since 1994 and estimates that more than 50% of its remaining employees come from Longview and the Portland metro areas.



DAILY COMMUTER OUT- MIGRATION RATES

A traffic count conducted by Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) during 2002 over a 24-hour weekday period, recorded some 12,500 vehicles leaving the Scappoose/ St. Helens area in the morning and 12,500 entering in the evening. ODOT estimates that each vehicle contained an average of 1.3 individuals; that calculates to a total of some 16,250 people leaving daily from the proposed St. Helens Hospital service area and entering Portland area destinations. While obviously not all were St. Helens/Scappoose area residents, nevertheless, a preponderance would be commuters.

From the ODOT study and personal observation, it is apparent that many more people than we would like to think, leave South Columbia County daily and in fact, spend many, if not most of their financial resources (apart from housing/shelter and attendant services) outside of their home towns of Scappoose and St. Helens (perhaps also Columbia City). It is also highly likely that these commuters will have ongoing established healthcare provider affiliations in the Portland area as a result of employer-provided healthcare insurance with HMOs or Preferred Provider agreements.

It is also without question that if these commuters become ill enough to warrant hospitalization, they would not choose to return to be hospitalized in St. Helens, but rather, would follow their other instincts and remain in the Portland area, seeking care there.

The Study does not factor-in, nor even consider, these likely significant reductions in the service area population.


PARTNERSHIPS WITH AND MANAGEMENT BY, A MAJOR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

"The Chronicle" newspaper (July 30, 2003 page 1 et.seq.) reported that three possible partners were considering the impact of their involvement with the planning consortium. I don't know who Quorum is, but I do know that if the other two, Legacy and Samaritan thought it to their economic advantage and financially feasible, they would have built their own hospital using their own money, simply to monopolize the market and create a patient flow to their main facilities. Legacy, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace (operators of the Longview hospital) and the Sisters of Providence have all either acquired, leased or else manage a number of smaller city's hospitals in Oregon, just for that reason. That three major players were involved in the discussions suggests that they were waiting to see if public money would save them the expense of "going it alone". My assumption is that they had already determined that it is simply not a good business venture for them to build a facility of any kind in the St. Helens area, using only their own money - it would simply not be cost justified. The decision by Legacy to contract for Management of SHH, built and operated with public money and with no financial risk to them is significant; everyone loves to feed at the public trough, even hospitals and their management!

"IMPROVING HEALTH CARE FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY"

In The Chronicle article referenced above, a member of the proponents' committee is quoted as saying that "The key words are: improving health care for Columbia County." However, only a hospital appears to have been considered and recommended and only a small part of the County can logically be expected to benefit from this proposal. Perhaps the focus of the coalition was too narrowly drawn in advance as exemplified by its choice of name, "the Hospital Coalition" and by stating that funding has allowed its staff "...to spearhead hospital research and advocacy " (emphasis added)