||| FROM UW MEDICINE |||
To the Orcas Island Community:
UW Medicine extends its sincere thanks to the entire Orcas Island community for your support since the opening of our clinic in September 2017. It has been a tremendous privilege to provide high-quality primary care to Orcas Island residents, and we are incredibly proud of our outstanding care team. We want to especially recognize their commitment and sacrifices over the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been difficult for all of us, but even more so for front-line healthcare workers.
Our partnership with the community has led to many accomplishments, including improvements in patient care and technology, which will serve all Orcas Island residents well into the future. While we support the hospital district’s decision to merge the two primary care clinics on the island, we are sorry that the timing was not right for us to submit a proposal for taking on this additional role. We are committed to a smooth transition of the clinic to Island Hospital and trust that the collaboration between the Orcas Island Hospital District and Island
Hospital will continue to provide you with the excellent care you have come to expect.
Again, thank you for the opportunity and privilege to serve the Orcas Island community. We wish you all continued health and safety.
Sincerely,
Debra Gussin,
Associate Vice President, Primary Care and Population Health, UW Medicine
Executive Director, UW Neighborhood Clinics
Dr. Matt Jaffy
Associate Medical Director, North Region
UW Medicine
Mark Bresnick
Assistant Director, North Region
UW Medicine
Thank you UW Medicine for giving me the opportunity to become a Medical Assistant under the guidance of this incredible staff. I feel so lucky to have worked with such a stellar clinical team– I have learned so much and thoroughly enjoy being around you all.
I am extremely grateful to have worked for UW, who brought opportunity for myself and coworkers to further our education, improving the quality of care. I have so much love for the outstanding team. I want to thank each of you for your tireless efforts during such a difficult time. You are all rock starts and I hold each of you close to my heart.
We appreciate the high standard of medical care that UW Medicine brought to our Orcas clinic during the short time that you were with us. We understand the great challenges this presented on both sides, inasmuch as this was UW Medicine’s first experience managing an island medical clinic that is physically disconnected from your other facilities, plus the unforeseen complications of the Covid pandemic. Thank you for all of your efforts to serve and support Orcas patients and and clinic staff.
Jean , I must correct some information in your very appropriate letter of gratitude to UW. UW continues to maintain an active and thriving clinic on Lopez Island with great community support, both financial and through the involvement of a vibrant mix of Commissioners , volunteers and informed islanders.
Thank you to all of the staff at UW Orcas. UW elevated medicine on Orcas and provided huge benefit to our community. The professionalism, care, medical talent, and genuine interest in making our little island healthier was a true blessing. UW, Drs. Alperin, Fleming, Russell and Jenn the Practice Manager’s departures will be felt for years to come. Each and every one of the staff endured with exceptional grace an onslaught of poor behavior, bias, and undermining over the past year. Our island was a better place because of these people and this practice. I will continue to support UW and trust them with my medical care.