Providence to close some northeast WA clinics, citing growing deficit
Providence Health officials say program closures in northeast Washington are only part of their strategy for getting back to profitability.
The company recently said it would stop offering outpatient services in orthopedic physical therapy at clinics in Spokane, Spokane Valley and Chewelah. It will also end its home care service in Chewelah. All closures are effective in early October.
"These program closures, both the Medicare and Stevens County and the two clinics will result in between $1.5 and $2 million of—annually—savings for the service area," said Susan Stacey is the company’s chief executive.
"That's a pretty good size dent in that, in that work, but it's not everything."
The company is also making other moves to reduce expenses, Stacey said, including eliminating administrative positions.
Providence is in a five-year run of red ink, but she said the company is making progress and managed to reduce its deficit from $140 million in 2023 to $89 million last year.
"We will get there, but it's not easy," Stacey said. "And we're not alone. Hospitals across the state are having to do the same work."
She hopes money promised by the federal government will help stabilize the company’s books for 2026.
Still, Stacey said there is uncertainty about Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement levels for hospital services for 2027 and beyond.
Little orders 3% budget cut across state government while touting "strongest economy"
Gov. Brad Little is ordering all state agencies except for K-12 education to cut their budgets by 3% as projected revenues came in $40 million short last month.
“Idaho’s economy is the strongest in the nation, and we continue to move in the right direction," Gov. Brad Little said in a statement announcing the action. "It’s in our DNA here in Idaho to balance the budget, cut taxes, and right-size government so we can continue to make public schools our top priority."
The news comes in the face of consistently falling tax revenue after Little and Republican legislative leaders passed $450 million in tax cuts earlier this year.
The latest revenue report from the Division of Financial Management for July shows collections for both personal and corporate income tax dropped by 5.3% and 50.3% respectively compared to predictions, largely contributing to the overall 10% drop below what state officials forecasted.
"The Governor’s executive order today further reinforces our strong track record of living within the people’s means and making government as efficient as possible so we can continue to prioritize education," said Senate Pro Tem Kelly Anthon (R-Burley).
"Idaho’s commonsense approach to budgeting means we aren’t growing government beyond Idahoans’ ability to pay for it," added both co-chairs of the legislature's budget committee, Sen. Scott Grow (R-Eagle) and Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls).
The governor proposed $100 million for tax cuts in his January budget proposal. Lawmakers more than quadrupled that, to which Little told reporters in February, “If I would’ve thought we could do [$450 million], I would’ve proposed [$450 million].”
Little’s budget chief, Lori Wolff, sent a memo to state agencies in May telling them to draw up contingency plans in case of budget holdbacks up to 6%.
Each agency determined what could be cut from its own budget and will vary in strategy. Those documents weren’t immediately available Friday.
Idaho closed out its fiscal year at the end of June with a $345 million surplus to cushion any potential revenue shortfalls. Still, tax collections fell 1.7% below projections.
Little's executive order also directs state agencies to cut full-time positions that have been vacant for more than six months and consolidate services where possible.
Constitutional offices, like the secretary of state, attorney general, state controller, state treasurer and the courts systems are also unaffected by the cuts, though he invited them to consider whether they could voluntarily trim their spending.
Gov. Little most recently issued cuts in midyear spending during the first wave of the coronavirus in 2020. That 5% cut across state government penciled out to $200 million.
The Idaho Democratic Party called on the governor to repeal a piece of the tax package – a $50 million tax credit that pays for a student’s private school tuition.
“Idaho Democrats are ready right now to repeal the $50 million voucher scheme, an essential first step toward fiscal responsibility," said Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea.
"“These holdbacks are the bill coming due for reckless Republican rule," said Necochea. "Idaho Democrats opposed giveaways to the wealthy and costly voucher schemes because we knew they would blow a hole in the budget and do nothing for working families."
Fire officials say denser housing without safety regulation can make firefighting more dangerous
Mounting pressure in Washington to increase housing density could put firefighters—and the people who need them—at risk.
Imagine trying to reach a ladder to the third story of a building but the fence is too close, or pausing critical medical treatment to a heart attack victim because the path to the ambulance is too narrow.
These are the types of concerns that Spokane Fire Marshal Dave Kokot is dealing with as the state and city push for more housing density.
"In order to get there, things have to give," Kokot said during a Washington State Building Code Council’s meeting last week. "Unfortunately we're concerned that safety is gonna be the piece that's gonna be giving in order to allow this to occur."
To get more housing units into one building, designers need to be creative. They may put private entryways on the side of a building instead of the front.
Those side doors don’t face spacious streets or alleyways—they face property lines, and usually fences.
Often, there’s not a lot of space between the two. That can make firefighters’ jobs a whole lot harder.
At last week's meeting, Kokot asked for a statewide code change that would require developers to leave at least 5 feet between buildings and property lines.
A development representative said that could be enough to keep affordable housing projects from penciling. Kokot wasn’t convinced.
"I hear people complaining about it and saying that that's gonna create some issues," Kokot said. "But I have not seen it slow down the development in the city."
The council is considering emergency changes to code and should make a final decision in a couple months.
SCRCC names prosecutor finalists with strong support for McCollam
Spokane County’s Republican Party has put forward its nominees to replace former top prosecutor Larry Haskell.
This weekend, GOP precinct committee officers gathered in Mead to finalize their list of candidates for county prosecutor.
Current acting County Prosecutor Preston McCollam took nearly 80% of the vote in the first round. The other two nominees are Assistant state Attorney General Steve Garvin and attorney Marshall Casey.
Now, Spokane county commissioners will vote to choose Haskell’s replacement until voters weigh in during 2026 elections.
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Reporting by Doug Nadvornick, James Dawson, Eliza Billingham and Owen Henderson.