It’s your public hospital. You pay for it. You trust it. But they’ve been hiding something. Olympic Medical Center is on life support—and Clallam County residents are only now finding out. After voters approved a hospital tax hike that doubled what many pay, the CEO abruptly resigned, Medicare is pulling the plug, and more than 60 serious safety violations remain unresolved. With just two weeks before losing 85% of its funding, OMC may be forced to shut its doors—while local leaders stay silent and the public asks: Why weren’t we told?
The sudden resignation of Olympic Medical Center CEO Darryl Wolfe on Thursday—citing “personal reasons”—came as no surprise to insiders. But the public deserves the truth: OMC is in deep crisis, and the consequences could be catastrophic for Clallam County.
Just one year ago, OMC and the Clallam County Board of Commissioners aggressively pushed a levy lid lift that doubled the amount many residents pay in property taxes toward the hospital. Voters were told this tax hike would save the hospital, ensure access to quality care, and preserve jobs. Today, those same elected officials are absent.
They pressured taxpayers to open their wallets, but when the promised reforms failed to materialize—and the hospital spiraled into financial turmoil and regulatory disaster—the County Commissioners retreated into silence. If they weren’t prepared to stick around and help navigate the fallout, maybe they should have stayed out of it altogether.
Medicare termination: the final blow?
The real breaking point came in a letter dated June 30, 2025, from the Department of Health and Human Services, notifying OMC of its termination from the Medicare program:
“When a hospital is found to be out of compliance with the CoPs [Conditions of Participation], a determination must be made that the facility no longer meets the requirements for participation as a provider or supplier of services in the Medicare program. Such a determination has been made in the case of Olympic Medical Center and accordingly, the Medicare agreement between Olympic Medical Center and CMS is being terminated.”
Effective August 15, 2025, OMC’s Medicare agreement will be terminated unless the hospital corrects a long list of serious deficiencies. Considering that 85% of OMC’s revenue comes from Medicare reimbursement, this move is not just a regulatory blow—it’s a potentially fatal one.
This isn’t the first warning. A May 12, 2025 letter from DOH Senior Health Insurance Specialist Valerie Vajda noted that “the facility was still not in substantial compliance” with Patient Rights and Nursing Services, stating:
“During this same visit, the state agency identified an Immediate Jeopardy situation…”
Over 60 citations and a letter of no confidence
On May 22, 2025, the Board of Commissioners received a letter of no confidence from a local physician—naming CEO Darryl Wolfe, CMO Scott Kennedy, COO Ryan Combs, CFO Lorraine Cannon, and CNO Vickie Swanson:
“Executive leadership’s inability to comply with state and federal regulations place OMC hospital at risk of imminent closure. Patients’ lives and the local economy are in jeopardy.”
The letter specifically reprimanded the executives:
“...for their failure to maintain OMC’s standard of excellence, resulting in over 60 citations since February 2025 by the DOH and a letter of termination of payment by CMS for failure to comply with the Conditions of Participation.”
“We can no longer afford the risk that OMC Administrators’ lack of diligence, action and accountability have placed upon our community’s health and livelihoods. Our patients deserve a hospital that is safe, respectful of patient rights, and provides quality care.”
The only two OMC executives not named were Chief Physician Officer, Allen Chen, and Administrative Director of Human Resources, Heather Delplain.
A culture of repeat violations—and public silence
A DOH survey completed June 12, 2025 found:
“This facility remains NOT IN COMPLIANCE with the Washington Administrative Code.”
That statement isn’t new. In fact, OMC has been racking up serious violations since February, with repeat citations documented in April and June.
Many of the same life-safety and patient care deficiencies have appeared in multiple inspections, including:
Failure to monitor mechanical ventilator settings
Delayed or missing medical orders
Improper restraint protocols for patients in mental health crisis
Neglect in monitoring stroke symptoms or post-op complications
Repeated failure to document basic care, such as vital signs and fluid intake
These weren’t isolated oversights. They represent a habitual culture of noncompliance, and OMC leadership was fully aware. So here’s the question no one at the hospital—or in county government—has answered:
Why wasn’t the public told?
Why were Clallam County residents allowed to walk through OMC’s doors, bring their children, their elderly parents, and their most vulnerable loved ones—without ever being warned that their public hospital was under federal scrutiny for life-threatening deficiencies?
The answer is as troubling as the violations themselves: the public was intentionally kept in the dark. While administrators and consultants worked behind the scenes to delay deadlines, request extensions, and shape the public narrative, patients were left uninformed and exposed to risk.
Public hospital, private secrets
OMC is a public hospital. It belongs to the people of Clallam County, who now foot an even larger tax bill thanks to the 2024 levy. Yet the level of secrecy, spin, and damage control from hospital leadership is inexcusable.
It’s not just patients at risk—it’s the entire local economy. As Clallam County’s largest employer, the potential closure or collapse of OMC would send shockwaves through the region.
Board holds emergency meeting
On Friday at 3 p.m., just one day after Wolfe’s resignation, the OMC Board of Commissioners held a special meeting to approve a contract with WittKiefer for $12,500 per week to recruit an interim CEO, who will also demand a high salary in addition to benefits and perks. The interim candidate will not be eligible for permanent hire.
Ex-CEO Wolfe was in attendance and is cooperating, and the meeting was "the most transparent the board has ever held" according to a regular attendee. But internal panic is growing.
Whispers of chaos
An OMC employee told CC Watchdog:
“People, including senior clinical leaders, are starting to depart OMC, and more are looking to leave.”
To many at OMC, there is a growing sense that the Board is more concerned with salvaging their political reputations than addressing the full scope of the crisis. Multiple consulting firms have reportedly been hired—at great public expense—to manage damage control and steer the public narrative.
What now?
This isn’t just a story about one CEO resigning. It’s about systemic failure, betrayal of public trust, and a dangerous lack of accountability in a taxpayer-funded institution.
Our elected officials and hospital administrators must remember: this is our hospital. We own it. We fund it. And we deserve the truth.
We also deserve leadership—real leadership—that will take responsibility, tell the truth, and fight to restore public confidence before it’s too late.
Last Sunday, readers were asked if Clallam County should open a formal public forum to discuss the financial relationship between local tribes and county government. Of 252 votes:
99% said, “Yes, transparency is important”
0% said, “No, it could damage relationships”
1% said, “Not sure/need more details”
This Week at PABA: Jackson Maynard of CADF
Join the Port Angeles Business Association for their weekly breakfast meeting, Tuesday from 7:30–8:30 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 Del Guzzi Drive.
Their guest speaker is Jackson Maynard, Executive Director of the Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF)—a Washington nonprofit watchdog that defends constitutional rights and challenges government overreach through litigation.
They’ll stream the program on Facebook, and the video will remain on their page.
🔹 There are usually lots of in-person questions—members first, then guests if time allows. They don’t monitor Facebook for live Q&A.
🔹 Joshua’s charges $5 if you don’t order breakfast—so treat yourself!
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