||| FROM VELMA DOTY |||
Orcas community has come a long way in its struggle for stable medical care. After decades of fundraising and large private donations to different doctors and clinics we are now where ALL are part of the solution through the “Hospital District.”
We had a group of people who worked diligently to get the information to the islanders of the problems and what an answer could be. In return we taxpayers overwhelmingly said YES it was time to form a tax based hospital district.
We have five commissioners who have worked very hard to put a new Hospital District in functioning order that in itself no small feat. Then the reward of combining the two clinics and finally requests for proposals to operate the clinic.
I am personally saddened that the doctors we have at the clinic have chosen not to continue practicing there under Island Hospital administration. For many it is an unfortunate loss. Not knowing why they did not submit their own proposal or speak up at the Hospital Districts many meetings to offer suggestions is puzzling. We have been short changed if they had another avenue for the Commissioners to consider.
It would be a injustice to us all to once again have a situation of burnt out doctors / fundraising support / split practices / when we thought that was behind us because we are willing to pay tax dollars to end an unstable history for medical care on our island.
I will be sorry to lose my doctor but I will stay with the Medical Center that now has a solid foundation and hopefully practitioners that care for our needs as the many doctors who have come and gone over the decades.
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I echo your beautifully expressed comments, Velma. Thank you.
I’ll have what she’s having.
Thanks, Velma, for articulating my thoughts and feelings so clearly. I have been wondering what it would have taken to keep Drs. Halperin and Russell as part of this solution.
I will start by saying that I respect Velma Doty for her substantial contributions to the Medical Center. However I am now confused. I feel that the change from UW to Island Hospital, with associated re-fracturing of the clinical practice, is a 10 year setback. We will continue to suffer from excessive fixed costs to have 3-4 practices, rather than moving in the direction of one clinic. Velma is correct, the philanthropic needs (or voluntary contributions) have been replaced with taxation (or mandatory contribution), but the financials of multiple practices still does not work. In my opinion, the loss of UW is a huge setback, not a strengthening of a foundation of sustainability.
So the community raised over 750,000 for UW and now has a PHD that can raise as much or more every year. Has anyone asked the existing 3 practices what it would look like for them to continue to deliver care to everyone with a 250,000 direct subsidy each? I will hazard a guess that without any administrative overhead, just giving the money directly to the existing practices would stabilize them. I also will guess that experienced private practitioners who are already on Orcas know the community and know how to run their offices as economically as possible. Just another “outside of the box” thought.
Neil,
The subsidy was not sustaining them. It was why the Hospital District pushed for a single operation to receive the support of public funds.