Gritman to close pool despite protests

MOSCOW — Local community members are upset that the Moscow therapy pool they frequent will no longer be available starting this weekend.

Gritman Medical Center cites ongoing maintenance problems and high costs as leading to the closure of its Martin Wellness Center on West Palouse River Drive. That building houses the Ron & Janie Nirk Therapy Pool, which will close after today.

The pool’s 85 patrons see it as not only crucial to their physical wellbeing, but a place where they have formed a community.

“This is not a luxury, this is a necessity,” said Moscow’s Susan Hodgin, who used the pool almost daily.

The people who pay a monthly fee for access to the pool were sent an email from Gritman in December letting them know about the pool’s closure.

“It was like a curveball,” Hodgin said, adding that the news even caught the staff by surprise.

The pool, which is designed for physical therapy, features graduated depths, railings and 91-degree water. The building also houses a therapy spa. Hodgin said the pool is beneficial for the aging population, people with chronic conditions, and those rehabbing after surgery.

The pool is not paid for through insurance, but by membership fees. Gritman’s Administrative Chief of Staff Danielle Breed said physicians sign an exercise release allowing their patient to use the pool.

Latah County sold the building to Gritman following a 2007 election. While it was technically sold for $1, Gritman also took on the building’s deferred maintenance costs, said Gritman CEO Kara Besst. These costs tallied $6.4 million.

She said it has been a challenge addressing the Martin Wellness Center’s maintenance problems during the past 18 years. Currently, the building’s HVAC system, foundation and plumbing system are failing, she said. Fixing the building would have cost an additional $5 million.

Hodgin and others who frequent the pool pointed to Gritman’s purchases of downtown Moscow properties, and wonder why the hospital is not willing to spend money on fixing Martin Wellness Center. For example, Gritman recently purchased the Thrivent Building at 409 S. Jackson St. to house wellness and therapy programs.

Besst said the hospital is trying to invest in local services that address the most significant needs in the community based on Gritman’s strategic plan and a community health needs assessment.

She said Gritman borrowed $35 million for this purpose in an era where rural hospitals across the country are struggling to recover financially from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besst said Gritman is moving the nonpool wellness equipment and programs from the Martin Wellness Center into its new building on Jackson Street. Because the Jackson Street building required relatively few renovations, Besst said the hospital invested about half a million dollars into the building.

Besst said the Ron & Janie Nirk Therapy Pool does not give Gritman much return on investment and instead loses the hospital about $220,000 a year. She called it a “difficult decision” to close the Martin Wellness Center.

Hodgin and other pool patrons looked at Gritman’s community health needs assessment and saw that low-income residents and older adults are among the groups with the greatest health needs in the area. She said those groups specifically benefit from the therapy pool.

Hodgin said she has not seen much effort from Gritman to market the pool. She said many people instead hear about it through word of mouth.

In its email to the pool users, Gritman suggested the University of Idaho Swim Center and the Pullman Aquatic Center as alternatives.

However, Hodgin said the Ron & Janie Nirk Therapy Pool is the only one in the region with its specific therapy-focused features.

Additionally, the Pullman Aquatic Center’s future is uncertain after Pullman School District ended an interlocal agreement with the city of Pullman to operate the pool.

Pool patron Glen Kauffman told the Daily News that community members have formed connections at Ron & Janie Nirk Therapy pool that she called “very enriching.”

That’s why she and others fought to save the pool. They sent letters to Gritman, gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition and asked Gritman to postpone the pool’s closure.

In a Wednesday meeting with Besst and the hospital’s board of directors, Hodgin and fellow pool patron Desiree Jacobsen suggested Gritman can work with community partners on creating a wellness advisory board.

In a letter Hodgin wrote, she said this board would represent Gritman, patrons, the city and the county to ensure the Martin Wellness Center is “open, safe, marketable working around repair and maintenance schedules.”

Besst told the Daily News on Thursday that Gritman is interested in exploring a wellness advisory board.

Local homeless shelter Family Promise of the Palouse also operates out of the Martin Wellness Center. The nonprofit told the Daily News in December it is exploring new locations.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.