Saturday, February 24, 10 – 11:30 a.m., Orcas Senior Center
— from Alison Shaw for Coalition for Orcas Health Care —
The Coalition for Orcas Health Care is pleased to announce its fourth Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, February 24, from 10 – 11:30 a.m., at the Orcas Senior Center, 62 Henry Road in Eastsound. This will be a special meeting: Orcas residents will have the chance to meet many of the candidates running for Public Hospital District (PHD) Commissioner. We anticipate that each candidate will have a brief statement and answer questions from the public. We invite the public to come to learn about the values and skills of each candidate.
The filing period for PHD commissioner candidates is February 5 – 9. The PHD proposal that will be on the ballot for the April 24 special election includes five at-large commissioner positions. Each candidate will have filed for one of those positions. During the election, voters will decide whether to approve the PHD and will also vote for one of the candidates listed under each position. If the PHD is approved, the winners of the five positions will form the new PHD Commission. The winner with the fewest votes will serve until the next general election, the next two winners will serve until the second following general election, and the two winners with the most votes will serve until the third following general election. In this manner, a rotation will be established for future commissioner elections.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]During the election, voters will decide whether to approve the PHD and will also vote for one of the candidates listed under each position.[/perfectpullquote]
“We’ve been very encouraged by the positive response in the community,” said Dale Heisinger, Coalition member, “and believe a good number of candidates will run in the election.” Coalition member Tom Eversole added, “election of qualified, competent candidates is essential to the success of the PHD. Combined, they must have the right set of skills and be able to work collaboratively and diligently for the good of the community.” On its website, the Coalition will soon publish a list of skills it believes commissioner candidates should have, in addition to a list of core values it believes are important for the delivery of health care services on Orcas.
The Coalition hopes for a large attendance at the February 24 Town Hall meeting, and asks readers to spread the word to neighbors and friends.
The final Town Hall meeting is scheduled:
◦ Wednesday, March 14, 5:30-7:00 PM, Eastsound Fire Station: 2nd PHD COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES’ FORUM. Didn’t get to ask your questions last time? Bring them to this meeting.
For more information, and the published Q&A from previous Town Hall meetings, please check the Coalition’s website: www.coalitionfororcashealthcare.com. Follow the Coalition for Orcas Health Care on Face Book, @Orcascohc.
Leif has raised concerns that I have heard from many regular folk on Orcas. I decided not to run, despite a relevant skill set and keen interest, because this is very clearly a pre-packaged deal, begun by the Orcas Medical Foundation, developed by UW, and ending at the election–just as it did on Lopez. There are numerous issues that haven’t been addressed and that can present serious problems in the future, but most meaningful to regular folk is the failure of a plan to address those who cannot afford insurance or deductibles and co-payments. The next year should be interesting.