||| FROM TONI KNUDSON |||
An open letter to Orcas Island Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Williams, Orcas Island Board of Fire Commissioners and Jeff Richey, Executive Director of Airlift NW:
There is concern in our community about our 911 system [*Editor’s Note below], as has been exhibited by the multiple online
posts on local websites. Tensions are high and OIFR ranks continue to make poor choices rather than attempting to build trust and collaboration. Our community has a rural island culture that we all enjoy and expect our institutions to be consistent with our community beliefs. These institutions include OIFR and Airlift NW, who provide critical services to our island community.
I believe that during the January 11, 2022 Orcas Island Board of Fire Commissioners regular meeting, the community trust was broken by both of your organizations.
The people from your organization discussed in an open public forum a recent automobile accident micro-detailing a rarely-used medical procedure that was exercised, revealed the patient’s identity and that of the medical responders, and the patient’s future outcome, which was grossly incorrect. To those in the meeting that are friends of this person, there were many, the description was disgusting to hear and very hurtful. From a legal standpoint, these disclosures likely were a violation of HIPAA.
The participants were many: Commissioners Tim Fuller and Jim Helminski, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Williams and Assistant Chief Holly vanSchick, and Dr. Richard Utarnachitt, Medical Director of Airlift Northwest.
It has been pointed out online that such an exhibition should be reserved for discussions between healthcare providers, not in a public forum. The statement made by the Airlift Medical Director [that] said this was part of the presentation of a “challenge coin” was an excuse, not a reason. When I looked online, a challenge coin is to be given in private, with the discrete pass of a coin in the palm of the hand, from the presenter to the recipient, with a simple statement made to the recipient as to why they are receiving the coin. There is no mention of a celebratory activity. What happened in the meeting can’t be hidden by such justifications not understood by the public. The residents of Orcas Island need not be duped by such excuses and rationale, it’s nonsense and dishonest.
In my opinion, the community needs you and your organization to hold yourselves accountable and to rebuild trust. I might suggest that you consider the following actions that might help:
- A public apology to the community and a personal apology to the family of the victim.
- A commitment to the community to investigate how this happened.
- Make available all communications between the two organizations related to this event. The communications can be redacted for patient confidentiality, just as a reminder. This will allow the community to understand the motivation behind your organizations.
- An outside investigation by both organizations into the event to determine the root cause for disclosure of personal protected information and potential violation of HIPAA by Airlift NW and OIFR.
I am hopeful that this unfortunate display of exuberance by two of our healthcare organizations in public can be explained and avoided in the future. It was inexcusable, coming from multiple individuals responsible for the care of a patient in need on Orcas Island. A remedy seems in order, to assure such an event will never occur again, to rebuild the community trust in your organizations. I look forward to a response and I hope you will indeed take this matter seriously.
_______________
[* Editor’s Note: The E-911 emergency telephone system in San Juan County continues to work well and has no bearing on the incident being related in this Letter to the Editor.]
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The person’s name was never mentioned at the public meeting! What else is being said that is inaccurate ?
His name was posted on Facebook by his friends along with his medical condition .
Tony, I don’t want to call Foul.. but honestly.. what is there to gain in twisting a knife..
Clearly a line was crossed, intentionally.. I don’t believe that..
How about we all work together.. yes accountability needs to be present .. there’s a way to achieve that.
It takes a lot more Character to calmly offer the first step of resolution.. to challenge, with contempt is just venting with little resolve.
Im not singling you out, but I will share this is just off point of the bigger issues facing our Community. The District needs good support, with the expectation of sound resolution. I know that speaks to most of us. I’m hoping we as a compassionate community can get to business and create a vision of unity not deviousness.
There’s much to do, let’s allow the energy afforded with all the community, Including the Commission to move in that direction.
I also ask, please consider stepping up and join the ranks, even as an auxiliary member. There’s plenty of room for good help.
Pierrette, they may not have been mentioned by name, but the meeting was public and many of their loved ones and friends knew who the super excited participants were referring to as they displayed gleeful and congratulatory behavior until Kim Kimple asked them to stop. However, Commissioner Helminski then went on to invite and made a personal recommendation (several times) to all attendees to find them on YouTube. And yes, their loved ones posted on their facebook page the most loving, gently worded and caring description of their prognosis for their friends to see and digest. It was not a celebration, it was not grandstanding, it was respectful in every sense of the word. I’m one of those facebook and casual friends and I was at this meeting. I assure you, it’s not the same.
Clyde, you may see it as twisting the knife, I see it as making sure OIFR Chief Williams and the entire BoFC know people are watching this crumbling department and want them to rid of the poor leadership, which just dropped to an all-time low. A clear violation of HIPPA just occurred. These two organizations need to be held accountable. How would you like this small community to listen to privileged and private information about you or your loved one, in a public meeting, as the participants pat themselves and each other on the back with a description of some cool technique they used? It was nauseating.
I’m not sure what you mean that I am challenging with content, I am stating the facts and offering suggested actions they may want to take note of. It might calm the waters. I don’t know what bigger problem you are referring to in our community, but I do know that what happened by these two agencies was disgraceful and needs to be treated as such. This is a bigger issue.
That’s what I’m doing, what are you doing? Can’t put your head in a hole and expect things to get right by the people doing the wrongs. Things are not getting better, they are getting much worse. Yet another incident since happened that Mia described on Rant and Rave, again Commissioner Helminski, Asst. Chief van Schaick and her good friend and new hire Don.…. well you know the story. It’s the culture.
Thank you for the invite to join the ranks. No thank you right now. That place is toxic. But I do appreciate being able to call you my friend as we work through these issues.
Tony, well said. We are friends with different perspectives, but for sure think we want the same thing.. A well run Agency that’s open for growth and a community that nurtures Sound Governance. There’s no room for anything less.
Thanks for caring!!
I’ll say it once again…Build Trust First…putting out fires is the easy part…