WINNEMUCCA — As the rental housing market shrinks and becomes more expensive, the Humboldt General Hospital Board of Trustees is looking into purchasing a duplex to better meet the needs of those who travel here to cover shifts at the hospital.

The board voted unanimously at their October 25 meeting to approaching the owner of a duplex on Buckaroo Drive to see if he would be agreeable to accepting just the appraised value on the house.  By statute the hospital could not pay more than the appraised value, but the owner may decline that offer in the hopes a more profitable offer is made.

The hospital would not move forward with obtaining the appraised value unless the property owner indicated he would accept it in advance.

Currently, travelers pay for motels/hotels or apartments where they can stay while in town to work contracted shifts at the hospital. In order to recover their costs, they charge as much as $10-$15/per hour over the regularly hourly rate.

It’s gotten so expensive, with no relief from the tight housing market in sight, that HGH CEO Jim Parrish recommended the board move forward with the purchase.

As the house has not been purchased, plans for its use would be premature.

Parrish opened up several possibilities, to include a policy that would make one of the duplexes for women and the other for men.  He said there was also the possibility new doctors could stay there with their families until their own homes could be secured.

Board member Shellie Cooney raised the only objection because it was her hope the hospital would be moving away from staff that traveled in for shifts.

But as other board members pointed out, while the use of travelers might decrease over time, it was unlikely the hospital could discontinue their use all together and still keep the hospital staffed.