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<\/i> Updated: May 19, 2026 @ 11:47 am<\/small>
Deschutes Rim Health Clinic, as seen on Google Maps.<\/p>\n
Deschutes Rim Health Clinic, as seen on Google Maps. Already Subscribed!<\/p>\n Cancel anytime <\/span> Secure & Encrypted
THE DALLES \u2014 Wasco County commissioners approved a $100,000 loan Wednesday, May 13, to keep the Deschutes Rim Health Clinic afloat through a \u201cprojected cash flow gap\u201d this fall, tiding the institution over until their first infusion of revenue from the new tax levy hits their bank account in November.
The unanimous vote at the May 6 board meeting underscored the increasingly precarious state of rural healthcare across Oregon, particularly in South Wasco County, where recruiting and retaining providers has become both expensive and uncertain.
White River Health District, which operates the Maupin-based clinic, serves two thirds of the county\u2019s geographic area and one third of its total residents. The Oregon Office of Rural Health has consistently identified South Wasco County as an area of unmet healthcare need in the state.
The district listed several precipitating factors that led to the funding gap. Revenues, while increasing, are projected to fall short in September or October of this year, as debt obligations repaying the $1.4 million clinic building are increasing Feb. 2027 from $8,200 per month to nearly $13,000 per month due to an interest rate adjustment.
Regional support for the district has been strong, from the county\u2019s $50,000 grant to the new clinic in 2019 to the local tax levy passed in 2025 to help sustain operations.
\u201cThis doesn\u2019t get any stronger than that when the community taxes themselves to support their own clinic,\u201d Commissioner Phil Brady said.
Acquiring and retaining practitioners<\/strong>
White River Health District Board Chair David Farris told commissioners the facility came close to collapse in recent years after repeated provider turnover eroded patient confidence and destabilized operations.
\u201cNobody wants to move to a primary care provider that may not be there,\u201d Farris said. \u201cPeople have to develop a faith that primary care provider that we have will still be there a year from now, two years from now.\u201d
Farris said the district recently recruited a full-time nurse practitioner from Wyoming, a development he described as critical to the clinic\u2019s survival.
\u201cShe called from Wyoming and said they want to move, and they\u2019re bringing their drift boat and the raft and their three dogs,\u201d Farris said. \u201cPeople love her.\u201d
\u201cThat\u2019s a remarkable achievement, to get a steady provider in a rural community,\u201d Commissioner Brady said.
The discussion touched on the broader crisis facing rural healthcare systems. Farris said even patients from The Dalles have begun driving to Maupin because of instability among primary care providers elsewhere in the region.
\u201cWe have one local person there who put on Facebook that she was looking for now her fifth primary care provider in six years in The Dalles,\u201d Farris said.
But even with new staffing at the Deschutes Rim Health Clinic in place, clinic leadership said rebuilding patient volume and financial stability will take time. The requested loan is intended not simply to cover operations, but to fund marketing efforts and provider recruitment, Farris said.
Loan framed as a bridge, not a bailout<\/strong>
The loan carries a 4.5% interest rate deferred until June 30, 2027, when increased tax revenues approved by South County voters are expected to begin stabilizing district finances.
\u201cI\u2019m always hesitant to just be a granting agency,\u201d County Administrator Tyler Stone said during discussion. \u201cThe reason that the county\u2019s in a fiscally stable position is because we look at sustainability and long-term revenue.\u201d
Brady said the structure of the agreement \u2014 a short-term repayable loan rather than direct aid \u2014 made the proposal more acceptable to the county.
Commissioners noted the district had already aggressively pursued outside grants and local funding before approaching the county for assistance.
Under the approved motion, Stone will finalize the formal loan agreement with the district.
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