Adams
County Public Hospital District #2 was formed in 1945 under provision
provided by state legislature. The law authorized the
formation of districts to construct, maintain, and operate hospitals
and related health facilities. Adams County Memorial
Hospital (as it was known then) opened on April 7, 1952, and was funded
by federal Hill Burton funds and local General obligation Bonds payable
over ten years. The hospital is under the direction of its
Board of Commissioners. The five commissioners are publicly elected for
varying terms to maintain continuity.
With
the addition of the Othello Hospital to the hospital district in 1958,
a name change was in order for the hospital in Ritzville.
The new name was Ritzville Memorial Hospital. In 1985 the
hospital district was divided, creating Adams County Public Hospital
Districts #2 and #3. District #2 serves the communities of
Ritzville, Lind, and Washtucna and encompasses an area of 1500 square
miles.
In 1970 a medical
clinic was built in Ritzville. The clinic was funded mostly
by stock sales to private citizens. In March 1979 the
clinic was purchased by the hospital district.
The hospital in
Ritzville provides heath care for all of east Adams County and is
supported by tax levies paid by residents of east Adams County. To
emphasize this, the name of the hospital was changed to East Adams
Rural Hospital in 1991. In 1992 clinics were established in
Washtucna and Lind.
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