By Yvette Clark
“Healthcare Yes!” that’s what the campaign signs said a couple of years back. Their mission was to promote a $10 million dollar bond for the Nehalem Bay Health District.
With a coordinated and strategic effort by The Nehalem Bay Health District and The Nehalem Bay Health Center who are a tenant of the district, it passed overwhelmingly with the promise of ADDITIONAL healthcare for the area.
There’s a lot that can be said on all of this, but I’ll save that for some other time and get to the point of this message. We’re about to LOSE access to some critically important healthcare and we need your help to save it.
With the departure of Dr. Monte Gores in early June the clinic may opt to not continue offering acupuncture. A suitable candidate has been identified, but not hired. Patients are unable to make appointments past Dr. Gores last day at the clinic. And, inquiries about ongoing services are being met with non-answers.
The board will be meeting Thursday May 28, 2026 to make a decision on whether or not to continue offering acupuncture at the clinic. Considering that it was a 90 day wait just to get a first appointment with Dr. Gores, and his schedule was always full, it seems odd that a decision is even in play. But it is and we need the board to hear the community on this one.
Please email as many of the following as you’re up for:
- Board of Directors of The Nehalem Bay Health Center at boardofdirectors@nehalembayhealth.org
- Board of Directors of The Nehalem Bay Health District at info@nehalembayhd.org
- CEO of Nehalem Bay Health Center Gail Nelson at gnelson@nehalembayhealth.org
Or call the clinic and leave a message for the CEO and the board at 503-368-5182
Or, better yet, write a letter or postcard to the board of the clinic at PO Box, 176 Wheeler, OR 97147.
The message is simple: “Compassionate Community Care” needs to be more than a tagline. They need to deliver on the promise of “HealthCare Yes!” and keep (actually expand) acupuncture services at the clinic.
Thank you!
