From 1895 to 1998, Watsonville Community Hospital served residents of the Pajaro Valley with reliable, good-quality medical care. During the corporate for-profit years, there was a decline in quality and reliability. Fortunately, due to the hard work of the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project and all those who fundraised and donated, Watsonville Community Hospital is again under local control. It is truly your community hospital again, and by voting Yes for Measure N in the March 5 election, you can help improve the care and services provided there for decades to come.

In many situations that require hospital care, the injured or ill person remains stable, and the timing of that care can occur at a relaxed pace. However, there are true emergencies where time is vitally important. When these emergencies occur, having a local, acute care hospital that is fully staffed and equipped is invaluable. A well-run community hospital can effectively deal with the vast majority of illnesses and injuries that impact people’s lives. In more complex situations, a community hospital can stabilize patients for transfer to more sophisticated medical centers.

To restore WCH to a state-of-the-art acute care hospital, there are many necessary steps. First, we must purchase the building and land on which it sits. This will free us from having to pay $3 million a year in rent to the current owner in Alabama. The funds raised through Measure N would fund that purchase.

Measure N would also help fund:

• Expanding the Emergency Department from 12 to 22 beds.

• Upgrading imaging equipment such as X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, CT scanner and MRI.

• Modernizing critical care and surgical equipment.

• Deploying an improved security system on the Mother-Baby Unit.

• Renovating patient rooms and other patient care areas.

• Performing deferred maintenance on roofs and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment.

Achieving these improvements requires a significant amount of capital investment. The fairest way to acquire the needed funds is through a bond measure. Measure N will raise $116 million for Watsonville Community Hospital. It will be paid back over a 30-year period.

We realize this endeavor will cost all of us who own property in the Pajaro Valley Health Care District an amount of money based on the value of our property. Most homeowners will see an increase in their property tax of $100 to $200 per year. Renters are also likely to see a small increase in their rent, in the range of $10 to $20 per month. We strongly believe that this is a worthwhile investment in your health and the most equitable way it can be achieved.

We, the undersigned, are a representative sample of the physicians who provide care at Watsonville Community Hospital and in the community. In the current state of the hospital, the existing computer system and other equipment often make it necessary for us to find workarounds to provide you with quality medical care. We would rather be able to focus more directly on you, your diagnosis, treatment and recovery. New computer hardware is much faster than what we currently have, so it will make our jobs easier. New imaging equipment will give us clearer diagnostic images with less radiation exposure for you. A larger ER will decrease crowding and waiting times.

Please help the Pajaro Valley Health Care District purchase the building and land, acquire the tools we need, and upgrade the patient care spaces so that we can provide you with the best care when you need it.

Madhu Raghavan, M.D.; Chris O’Grady, M.D.; Kris Okumu, M.D.; Stanley Hwang, M.D.; Maria S. Granthom, M.D.; David Claypool, M.D.; Peter Bretan, M.D.; Melissa Lopez-Bermejo, M.D.; and Clay Angel, M.D. are all local doctors who provide services at Watsonville Community Hospital under different disciplines including pediatrics, family medicine, geriatrics, cardiology, obstetrics & gynecology, emergency medicine, urology, critical care and pulmonary medicine.