||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND PRIMARY CARE-ORCAS |||
Summer is in full swing and residents and visitors have been enjoying all that our beautiful island has to offer. Unfortunately extra visitors and less restrictions has also brought a 5th wave of the pandemic to our doorsteps. As we work to contain COVID-19 and its variants, we need our community to get vaccinated and wear their masks so we can get ahead of this wave and relieve some of the pressure our dedicated staff are feeling.
Additional Support for COVID-19 Testing on Orcas Island
Due to recent COVID-19 community outbreak on Orcas Island and in San Juan County, Island Primary Care – Orcas will expand testing for COVID-19.
Testing takes place by appointment only at the Clinic on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings with a capacity of 12 total testing spots per day. Additionally, scheduled testing will now be available on Tuesdays from 4 – 6 p.m. Testing will take place outside at the front of the Clinic, allowing patients to remain in their vehicle and drive in and out in one direction.
Testing will be performed for patients who have COVID-like symptoms or who have been exposed to someone who has had a positive COVID-19 test result. Pre-procedure testing will be done during the clinic’s morning testing schedules.
Due to limited testing capacity and community need, testing for travel purposes is postponed until further notice. Visit the Washington State Department of Health’s website to find additional testing locations. Please call 360-376-2561 or 360-293-3101 to schedule a COVID-19 test or an appointment at Island Primary Care – Orcas.
Concerns of COVID-19 Variants from Chief Medical Officer Jason Hogge, MD
Recently, there has been a growing unease regarding COVID-19 variants and what actions, if any, individuals ought to take in response to these variants. You have likely heard many of the different names of COVID-19 variants, especially in the media, and perhaps you’ve been curious about whether there is any real cause for concern. In this short article, we hope to educate you about these variants so that you can make informed decisions to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our community against the spread of the coronavirus disease and its variants.
To learn more about COVID-19 variants and how you protect yourself, please visit our website
https://www.islandhospital.org/blog/concerns-of-covid-19-variants/.
Upcoming Specialty Services
Island Hospital Speech-Language Pathologist Libby Lewis, MA, MEd, CCC-SLP is in talks with the Orcas school superintendent to determine where her services could help support students. Libby will also be engaged as needed for adult Orcas patients. If you’re interested in learning more about how Libby works with memory issues, visit our website to watch her educational videos. Island Primary Care – Orcas is working with Island Hospital’s Sleep Wellness Center Supervisor Jennifer Taylor, to organize telehealth visits with Clinic providers Dr. Robert Reyna and Bridgett Bell Kraft, MS, ARNP, FNP-BC. These telehealth visits will soon be available to Orcas patients at the Clinic. Dr. Kathleen Garde continues to visit the clinic monthly to provide gynecological and obstetrics services.
Provider Position Update
Island Primary Care – Orcas is building our team! We are excited to announce the hire of our new PA-C, coming from Urgent Medical Center, and a Seattle-based board certified family medicine physician with 17+ years of Primary Care experience with high acuity care within clinic. We welcome our new locum Dr. Georgeanne Freeman, a board certified physician with 18+ years of extensive Family Practice and urgent care experience.
We are talking to four qualified candidates who have a range of primary care and urgent care experience. We are in various stages of the recruiting process with each candidate. We hope to have a formal announcement on new physicians joining our practice over the coming months.
Community Education Upcoming Classes and Events
Community Education classes continue to be offered online at this time. All online classes at Island Hospital are free and require registration unless specifically stated in the class description. If you have questions, please call Island Hospital Community Education for more information: 360-299-
4204. To view upcoming classes, visit www.islandhospital.org/classes
Successful Turnout at Back-to-School Health Fair
On July 31 and August 7, Island Primary Care – Orcas partnered with the Orcas Island School District, Orcas Community Resource Center, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue, and One Canoe: San Juan for a community health fair to help kids catch up on their childhood immunizations, well-child checks and sports physicals. Approximately 50 students received care and enjoyed fire truck tours and fun prizes from our community partners. We appreciate the community collaboration and focus on keeping our kids healthy as they head back to school.
Island Primary Care – Orcas is here for your healthcare needs. You can reach us by calling (360) 376-2561 or (360) 293-3101.
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PLEASE consider hiring a Geriatrician on the staff on Orcas. As the Senior Center says, we want to “Age well on Orcas”
Not to mention bringing back the capability to do Echocardiograms on island. In the past technicians came twice a month for scheduled appts.
This along with frequent visits from a cardiologist would help considerably to mitigate the flyoffs Island Hospital is so anxious to reduce.