The longer I live on Orcas, the more I begin to feel like Alice who fell down that rabbit hole! The current news about the former Medical Clinic and our former partner, Island Hospital in Anacortes, truly boggles my mind. I realize that I am one of the few living survivors from the 1950 days of Dr. Heath and his two afternoons a week on Orcas, and one the few survivors of those who were charter members of the first Medical Clinic on Orcas, that became the Lower Tavern when the move into the new facility on Deye Lane in 1992 was an exciting accomplishment for Orcas Islanders.
Lolly Halvorson and I chaired the great event that was the ribbon cutting and reception to open the new Medical Center and a move to ensure enhanced care for Orcas Islanders. Those were the good old days on Orcas. We have fond memories of how good it felt to pull together and build something for the benefit of all islanders.
Our Board found it necessary to enter into an agreement with Island Hospital and committed itself to raising $40,000 a year to pay for that service. In 1993, Dr. Shinstrom was hired to manage the Orcas Clinic and all was well. After a time the Clinic was on solid ground under his direction. Personnel changes on Orcas and in Anacortes happened; Island Hospital opted out of the partnership, and Orcas found itself at a turning point.
New island residents, with no knowledge of the past, with personal agendas known only to themselves, and with no concern for the history of our Medical Center and the part it has played in the growth of Orcas, chose to take over, eliminate the past and create general havoc within medical services.
It is unbelievable that the same cast of characters from Anacortes that dumped the Medical Center is now interested in resuming an affiliation with it. What sort of fundraising will be expected this time? And does the Orcas Board realize that a second marriage with Island Hospital may also not be as blissful as they hope. Orcas went through a painful divorce from Island Hospital once before; will a pre-nup be needed this time?
As a charter member of Orcas Medical Center-and I have the old list to prove it-nothing would make me happier than to see past errors by former boards rectified and peace restored. The few remaining charter members have the feeling that our voices are not important, and that past island history is irrelevant. But I disagree. There are too many things that are taken for granted today that did not exist fifty years ago. And we are the old-timers that made them happen.
So there!
Joyce Burghardt
Eastsound
(Thanks to Ken Brown for transcription services).
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Kudos to Joyce. The truth is joyeous. I wouldn’t trust Island Hospital-They dropped us like a hot potato and said that the Skagit Public Health District Board members couldn’t afford to carry us anymore. Now they’re playing nice-nice. Let’s learn from the history of this agreement
So! With the growth in population both the services and need are multiplied. Do you remember the first aid car? The scramble for a physician? The on again off again of para-medic sponsors? The old Anacortes Hospital? The attempt to ask the Fire Department to become a Hospital District? The inability to get patients to a hospital in bad weather? We’ve come a long way baby! So have the needs of our medical center. I am not so sure that old hospital districts have remained the same. I am also not so sure why Orcas is being courted. I would guess they need the patients to satisfy some Federal mandate. Questions are valid but let’s not throw the the idea out because of an unpleasant history. Here we are with pneumatic tires and electric cars! So there.
Its all about ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations). The new health care law supposedly provides financial incentives for hospitals to be ACOs, including (in some cases) proposed up front payments of anticipated government savings. (See https://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/May/17/ACO-initiatives.aspx, 4th paragraph).
One of the requirements to become an ACO is demonstrate a strong foundation of primary care. So, hospitals that want to qualify as ACOs are lining up relationships with primary care providers. (See https://www.ncqa.org/portals/0/publiccomment/ACO/ACO_%20Overview.pdf, 5th page, Guiding Principles, #1).
But there is doubt in some quarters that ACOs will really increase hospital earnings: “the proposed regulation creates more financial risks than rewards and imposes onerous reporting requirements.” (See https://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/May/17/ACO-initiatives.aspx, 2nd paragraph)
If that turns out to be true, one would expect Island Hospital to sever the relationship (again). Don’t expect that Island Hospital’s motives are altruistic, generous, or out of concern for Orcas residents … they are more likely hoping to improve their financial performance.