— from Madie Murray —
I was having lunch with a friend and, of course, we were discussing the Hospital District Initiative. She asked me about my thoughts on the district. She wasn’t the first, and each time I go straight to the thought of, “What if it doesn’t pass?”
What if it doesn’t pass? My first thought is, if I were young, why would I want to live where I wasn’t sure I could get good care if I got pregnant and the pregnancy was difficult? What if I got breast cancer or diabetes, or had a semi-serious accident at work? Or worse.
My second thought is, I probably could not live out the rest of my life here. I’m part of that 50% who are 55 and older who put a burden on the system both medically and financially. But, both my partner, Rollie Sauer, and I want to live out the rest of our lives here – on Orcas Island – where our friends are, where we love living, where we want to stay forever.
What if it doesn’t pass? I don’t think we would have a choice but to, instead, put a burden on our kids (which neither of us want to do even though they would probably do so lovingly), or go some place where they never knew us, or who knows. I really don’t want to think about it! But we need to.
Think about it hard. What if it doesn’t pass? Where would that put you? Where would that put people you care about here on the Island who want to live here “forever”?
We could be left with one or two physicians who basically would be sacrificing an otherwise lucrative practice somewhere else to take care of our basic needs, but it would be the Middle Ages in comparison to where the medical industry is today. Even caregivers on the Island would have fewer tools to help them do what they do.
I like seeing all my records online. I like being able to teleconference with a physician instead of having to go to the Mainland for everything bothering me. I like the fact that we have after-hours and urgent care and are not putting an undue burden on our EMTs any longer. I like having an entity like UW Medicine here on Orcas, even though their presence here has been an adjustment for everyone.
I like the fact that the money raised by this initiative would be shared with all the medical practices on the Island – now and in the future. And, I like the concept that we all share in the cost to stay healthy and die happy instead of relying on a few generous, incredible people who have ponied up money every year in the past to keep health care on the island.
Everyone pays for public education – even those without children or their children are grown – because it’s important to everyone’s future.
So is healthcare.
Spot on, Madie.
Those who are content with EMT’s and Air Care handling their acute problems; those who think that surely some Docs would come here and practice ( from where? How well trained and accredited?) are
In my humble opinion, Selfish. Capital S .
I am impressed with the concept of health care for ALL.
I am impressed with urgent care, 24 hour availability of MD’s. And any new Docs agreeing to the sharing of call.
I am impressed with the funding available
for ALL practices, so those who have problems with UDub/growing pains of the Clinic can go elsewhere should they choose.
Sure there is history :building the Clinic ( which remains in care of the original contract, not UDub. )
And funding ,so kindly provided to maintain the Orcas Med Center over the years in spite of the half a million annual deficit.
BUT.
I, too, am confident that, IF the HD measure fails, IF we choose commissioners unequal or inadequate for their task; and IF the UDub contract isn’t carefully enumerative of Orcas-izing care—-
medical care here will regress.
We can’t count on the kindness of Dr. Shinstrom, working without paying himself; or Dr. Russell ,
dealing with an overfull practice, having trouble
maintaining an office and staff financially in spite
of long hard days.
Telemedicine is a saving grace for oldsters unable to travel constantly to the USA for consults.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have X-ray capability here? A Lab , with broader abilities?
And then,of course, if the HD measure fails, there will BE no Orcas medical center.
Please , go to the town hall meetings; ask your questions, voice your doubts and problems; hear the candidates for commissioner.
Then, VOTE YES.
The most succinct reason for supporting the district that I’ve heard so far was, “What about our property values? Who would want to buy my house here if we had no medical care???”
Madie Murray notes that the 50% of island residents who are over 55 burden the medical system. That may be true, and… I would also note that pediatric and prenatal medical services similarly burden the system. They are not, however, used by senior citizens.
People over 55 may actually pay a greater part of the property taxes collected here than do younger people including children – even though property taxes pay for public resources seniors don’t use like schools and soccer fields. We need physicians on Orcas at least as much as we need sports facilities. A Public Hospital District would engage those over 55 in paying for services they do use and which also benefit others.
Most seniors are willing to pay for medical care. They just need access to it. Unlike the television show, “Survivor”, let’s not vote seniors off the island!
Well said, Leif. Agree – some won’t see the connections you make, but it’s all connected, and although we humans would like to think so, we’re *not* the most important or necessary species on earth.
Until we really *get* our interdependence with the environment and start taking care of the real life support system around us and under our feet, it won’t make that much of a difference what happens with the hospital district. But if that gets passed, perhaps people will, for once, turn their attention to showing the same care and concern for the environment!