Wallowa Memorial Hospital is financially stable going into the winter months, according to WMH Chief Executive Officer Larry Davy.

Since its 2015 fiscal year started on July 1, the hospital is already showing a net gain of $231,625.

Davy did caution that the winter months may harbor leaner times. “Being a tourist area we tend to have our strongest financial months in the summer. Most tourists tend to be pretty well insured. We build up a head of steam before going into the winter when you tend to have some months in the red,” Davy said.

“Right now we’re making money and I’m hoping we can continue that.”

Davy noted that rural hospitals are closing at an alarming rate.

In July, the National Rural Health Association observed that at least 22 U.S. rural hospitals had closed within the preceding year.

Also according to the association, 20 of the closures occurred in states that refused to accept the federal offer to expand the Medicaid program. Oregon is not one of those states.

Davy said hospitals are an essential component of rural communities. “Look at the societal impact. If this hospital wasn’t here, or the John Day or Burns hospitals, you tend to lose your young families because they’re not willing to have their kids where emergency services aren’t available. A lot of the seniors will move away because they’re not willing to drive hundreds of miles to get medical care.”

Davy added that a large part of community spending in rural areas is Medicare and Social Security money, and removing those sources would have a negative impact on local businesses. “You’d be surprised by how many calls I’ve gotten through the years from either retirees or couples with young children looking to relocate here saying, ‘Describe your health care system to us because we’re thinking of moving here,’” Davy said.

Davy said that as times change, health care’s primary focus needs to change as well. “Health care has historically treated illness, and we need to focus on treating wellness. Right now, we don’t want to pay for that. When society decides that the value is there, then we’ll be OK again,” Davy said.

The current strategic plan calls for the hospital to hire more specialists. An orthopedic surgeon is taking up residence at the hospital next year, and telemedicine, which uses telecommunications for remote diagnosis and treatment of patients, is another possibility under consideration.

“It’s going to be huge because it’ll remotely bring specialists in so people don’t have as heavy a travel burden and get more timely care for urgent issues,” Davy said. “It’s just one of the things we can do to stave off drying up like so many rural hospitals are doing.”

And despite all the difficulties confronting rural hospitals generally, Davy remains optimistic about WMH. “We’re fortunate. We’re doing better than a lot of facilities,” he said.