The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—At the Columbia County Health System board meeting last week, CEO Shane McGuire shared his concerns about financial stability, emergency preparedness, and possible impact on patients and health system staff, in light of the potential for a serious local outbreak of COVID-19.

McGuire said, “We have stopped all non-essential visits in physical therapy, imaging, and the clinics. This volume generates about half of our monthly revenue. . .This is happening at the same time that we are spending increasing amounts of financial and human resources to prepare for a historic surge in volumes rel...