Senate proposes contract with state hospitals and cities

For the last several years, Medical Lake requested state funding for policing and emergency medical services it provides to Eastern State Hospital.

After years of no response, a proposed bill that was introduced in the current legislative session could result in some compensation to the city for those services.

On Jan. 16, the senate held the first reading of Senate Bill 5159. The bill, introduced by senators Michael Baumgartner, Steve O’Ban and Steve Conway, would add chapters to the Revised Code of Washington requiring Western and Eastern state hospitals to contract with the cities where the...