The Montesano City Council will invite representatives from Summit Pacific Medical Center to come speak at its next meeting, Oct. 23.

The council has signed a resolution that could eventually result in the city dropping out of Grays Harbor Hospital District 1, which operates Community Hospital, and joining Hospital District 2, which operates Summit Pacific.

The board for the Aberdeen hospital didn’t agree to let Montesano go voluntarily and has been cool to the idea. That district operates a clinic in Montesano and worries it would lose the clinic and the referrals for hospital services.

Monte officials want to build a clinic, probably with money from the state, and lease it to Summit Pacific.

There has been strong disagreement between the two sides as to the potential financial effects.

“Going forward, the reality is that there are a lot of pieces,” Montesano Mayor Vini Samuel said during an interview to discuss the city’s options concerning switching hospital districts to facilitate building a residency clinic. “The first piece, the petition drive, should start relatively soon. The process takes about four to six months. It’s certainly not any type of short-term activity. So, we have to assess how much Summit is willing to commit to when we don’t have a budget and are not part of their hospital district. I’m going to invite Summit to the council meeting. Near the end of this month, they will know more about the residency program.”

Councilman Dan Wood supports leaving Grays Harbor County Hospital District 2 to join Hospital District 1, which runs Summit.

“Summit is ready to go. The city has the land available. I think it’s a well-fitting opportunity for all of Grays Harbor,” he said.

But a lot of variables are still up in the air.

“The council and I have spent a lot of time assessing this, and the feedback that I have been getting from the city of Montesano has been really positive,” Samuel said. “But I would assure our residents that we have worked really hard to come up with every option we can thing of. We believe (pursuing a residency clinic with Summit) is the best course, not only for the city of Montesano, but also for the Harbor. This is not a situation of win-lose, in how it’s being framed. I believe we can all end up having a better future and make the Harbor better for all of us.”

Wood says he will continue to use services at Grays Harbor Community Hospital, which is run by Hospital District 2.

“I have four or five generations of my family that have been served by Community Hospital,” he said. “It’s a good system and will continue to be even if Monte does get this clinic. We are looking at all the options and being cautious.”