South Bend’s Willapa Harbor Hospital wins $1M grant for new equipment

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 9, 2026

The awarding of a recent federal grant is allowing one of Pacific County’s two public hospitals to upgrade critical diagnostic equipment.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez announced June 2 that South Bend’s Willapa Harbor Hospital had received a $1.015 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to replace its imaging technology with new equipment.

The funding was secured via a congressionally directed spending request — commonly known as earmarks — that had been supported by both Cantwell (D-WA) and Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Skamania).

In a statement, Cantwell called the funding “a big win for Willapa Harbor.”

“It will bring new advanced imaging technology to a high-need rural community, improving diagnostics and saving lives,” the senator said. “This investment is especially critical in an area where more than a quarter of residents are over 65. We must continue to make sustained investments in rural health infrastructure so patients can access high-quality care, no matter where they live.”

Gluesenkamp Perez said this investment in new imaging equipment “offers lifesaving services to residents who shouldn’t have to drive many hours for critical care.”

“Rebuilding our national health starts with making family doctors more accessible, especially in rural communities,” the congresswoman added.

The grant is supporting upgrades to equipment at Willapa Medical Clinic, a designated rural health clinic. Among the new equipment will be a state-of-the-art, 80-slice CT scanner that will enable faster scanning, reduce radiation dosing, improve quality and accuracy, and ease both the patient and technologist. The previous CT scanner was 18 years old and in need of replacement.

Other upgrades include Dexascan-Bone Density testing, to identify osteoporosis and early prevention for calcium depletion bone fractures; a modern and upgraded X-ray room; a mobile X-ray unit to allow for rapid furnishing of exams, minimization of cross contamination and infection control, and testing in a patient’s room; and a Trophon unit to ensure ultrasound probe for gynecological exams is safe, clean and free from bacteria and viruses.