— from Steve Hulley —
This week the County is mailing out ballots for Orcas residents to vote on two important measures:
- a tax initiative to provide the financial support that is needed for primary healthcare to survive on our island, and,
- contingent on that initiative passing, the opportunity to choose five Health Commissioners who will use the tax funds to enhance the quality of primary and urgent healthcare on our island.
Please vote for the healthcare tax initiative: Times have changed, and Medicare and Medicaid no longer cover the costs of rural primary care medicine. Both Dr Shinstrom’s Orcas Family Health Center and UW Medicine/Orcas Medical Foundation have stated that their clinic doors will close this year in the absence of on-going supplementary support. In addition to enabling our primary care clinics to survive, the funds will also provide a tool for the commissioners to enhance quality of our primary and urgent healthcare systems.
But don’t vote for me as Commissioner 4: In January 2018, noticing that no candidates had applied for the Commissioner 4 position, I decided to throw my hat in the ring. Then things changed on the final afternoon for applying and I discovered I was one of five candidates for the Commissioner 4 position. I soon decided not to run, but unfortunately had missed the County deadline for removing my name from the ballot and was only allowed to mention my status in the on-line Voters’ Guide (as well as in several Town Halls).
Among my reasons for withdrawing, I do not wish to compete with Diane Boteler who is better qualified than I am for the role of commissioner. We are both physicians, which will be useful on this board (there are no MD candidates for the other four commissioner positions). However, my career as a medical scientist in San Francisco was devoid of primary care experience, and Diane has spent decades practicing here on Orcas as a primary and urgent healthcare provider and providing medical oversight for the EMT system.
So, please don’t vote for me as Commissioner 4, vote for Diane Boteler MD.
Great letter, Steve! I enjoyed reading your thought process for your entry, as well as your subsequent withdrawal, for Public Health Commissioner. Although I am sure you would have been a fine Public Hospital Commissioner, for all the reasons you mentioned and then some, Diane Boteler is an excellent choice.
I hope everyone will give serious consideration on behalf of the Public Hospital District. It’s passage is vital for the level of quality health care we all deserve.
I agree, great letter, Steve. And thanks for the clarification. Orcas is fortunate to have a deep reservoir of really talented professionals who call this place home, and I hope the newly elected commissioners will be wise enough to tap into your expertise as they stand up the PHD.
My hope is that all who have run for commissioner will be included in an advisory capacity; an idea put forth by a few candidates. It’s a good one! It would afford us as many skills and good minds as possible and would be a win-win for the hospital district and the people the commissioners will represent.
Thank you, Sadie, for stating my same hope!