||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT |||
We are appreciative of the outpouring of support for Dr. Simpson-Manske. We are grateful for the compassionate care that Dr. Simpson-Manske has provided while employed with Island Health. We acknowledge that a provider transition is challenging on those that had built a relationship with a provider, we are sorry for the impact that the transition will have on many in our community.
As we mention below, both Island Health and the Health Care District are unable to comment on or disclose any further information on personnel matters. We understand this is challenging for those that are affected by this provider transition, but this is the policy.
We trust that Island Health has built a professional, compassionate care team at Island Primary Care – Orcas. Island Health and Orcas Island Health Care District recently signed a long-term clinical services contract, and we know that Island Health has a strong commitment to our island community.
Below is the information that we have been sharing with those that have reached out directly to the Health Care District. We are also including a patient letter that Island Health has been sharing with patients with an upcoming appointment, and will be shared with any patients who saw Dr. Simpson-Manske.
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Dr. Simpson-Manske is no longer employed with Island Health as of Tuesday, May 26th. Island Health does not comment on or disclose personnel matters any further out of respect for the privacy of employees.
If you were scheduled with Dr. Simpson-Manske, the Island Health team is personally contacting affected patients to assist with transitioning their care to another provider. Community members can call the clinic to discuss scheduling with other providers who are accepting patients at the clinic but calling the clinic will not result in any further information about Dr. Simpson-Manske, due to the personnel nature of the situation.
Both Island Health and the Health Care District have processes to receive feedback from our community. If you would like to share a comment directly to Island Health, you can visit https://islandhealth.org/
We are grateful for the time that Dr. Simpson-Manske was with Island Health and for the care she delivered to our community.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Is it possible that Island Health and the Health Care District can ask Dr. Manske to return?
We do not need to know why she was asked to leave, we only want her to return if she wants.
Dr. Simpson-Manske was not my doctor and I have no idea what happened there. But having lived on Orcas for 25 years, I want to say that I appreciate how important it is to have a doctor you trust and feel really cares about you. In a small community like ours, where there aren’t a lot of choices (acknowledging that we’re lucky to have the clinic, and the couple of other doctors who practice on the island), having a doctor who respects you and understands your needs can be a challenge. It was for me some years ago, and I know it has been for others as well. I have greatly appreciated the excellent PA’s we’ve had at the clinic over the years. My current primary care provider is a PA and I value her a lot. It’s also very important to remember that a doctor who really cares about their patients is very special.
I finally found a practitioner who I trusted and now she is gone and when I called to reschedule the cancelled appointment with her I was not told she was gone and I was not told who my July appointment was going to be with. The lack of transparency is troubling indeed and the only reason I will return is to get my medications renewed. This has happened numerous times in the 30 years I have been on island and I am thinking of switching to Peace Health in Friday Harbor. Lucky for me I currently have no medical issues pending. I already go over to FH for dental care. In plain language, this sucks….
I hope Dr Manski is reading all these comments and the ones on Facebook as well, and knows how loved and appreciated she is. Though she apparently didn’t fit the medical money-making machine, hundreds of us are devastated by her departure. Her knowledge, intelligence, compassion, intuition, experience, expertise, and gentle humor will be extremely hard to replace.
As a still relatively new patient of Dr. Manske, this is devastating news.
I am a medically complex person in my late 30s and Dr. Manske listened to me, unlike any doctor before. She helped me get officially diagnosed with a rare issue no one in the Island Health system can even treat (so I have to travel to UW in Seattle) and that had been dismissed as “too rare for you to have” by two other doctors before seeing her. She brought it up herself, though I had suspected it.
Having someone at home (where I’ve lived for the past decade; over a quarter of my lifetime) who was so helpful in getting my health issues under control has been, essentially, lifesaving.
I didn’t trust Island Health after they abandoned us before. It appears my distrust was valid. I will now have to, once again, seek health care off island. Terribly disappointed. And my insurance was one of the few who actually was contracted with Island Health in the county.
As a regular patient of both the Orcas clinic, labs and the hospital for imaging in this past year, this is not a good financial move for the clinic either. They’re likely to lose many patients with this decision. I advocated for creating the hospital district but it has also left a lot to be desired in terms of securing stable medical services for the island.
Does anyone else wonder if Island Health waited until after the long-term clinical services contract was signed to make this move? If they had not waited, do you think we would have been so willing to sign on again with them? Don’t suppose there is a legal loop hole in that contract to get out of it? Clearly, money is more important to them than quality health care or some accommodation might have been made for Dr. Simpson-Manske’s time requirements. And I must assume that it is time taken per patient visit that was the issue.