The House voted unanimously recently to pass a law proposed by state Rep. Larry Springer that would give public hospitals clear legal authority to accept gifts and engage in fund raising.
“You can imagine the shock at Evergreen Hospital and other public hospitals when the state auditor found that they lacked the legal authority to do the kinds of fund raising they’ve done for years,” said Springer (D-Kirkland). “I think it’s particularly important to be sensitive to the needs of these districts right now, given the tough financial times that we’re all in.” Current law only allows county hospitals to accept gifts and do fund raising, even though nearly half of the hospitals in Washington are public hospital districts.