Orcas Public Hospital District Candidates’ Statements: Diane Boteler

Statement from Diane Boteler:

As a family physician and 21-year Orcas resident, I am running for Commissioner to help this community I love create the next generation of medical care on Orcas Island. The Public Hospital District will give everyone a voice in how we work towards a health care system that provides excellent quality and patient-centered, island-oriented primary and urgent care that is accessible to all of us.
During the 30 years I have practiced medicine, I have:
• Worked at the Orcas Medical Center both as a physician and as its medical director.
• Served as Orcas EMS medical control physician.
• Worked as a fill-in physician on Orcas, Lopez and San Juan.
• Worked most recently as a part-time hospitalist in Bellingham, one of our referral centers.
• Worked for the US Indian Health Service on the Navajo reservation where I served as an outpatient family physician, hospitalist, and emergency room physician.
This work experience has given me a broad perspective on the full spectrum of health care and a unique view of what excellent rural health care should look like, both as a doctor and as a patient. Having a physician with extensive clinical primary care and hospital experience on the Hospital Board adds an essential element and complements individuals having experience in the areas of finance, legal issues, and making a public entity work for the public good.
Starting with our existing primary care clinics, I am excited about the opportunity to work towards:
• Excellent patient-oriented, island-focused primary care and 24/7 urgent care accessible to all.
• Fiscal responsibility to assure our tax dollars are spent carefully by keeping as much locally as possible.
• Improved collaboration with EMS to provide as much urgent and emergent care on-island as possible. EMS and the primary care providers represent a continuum of care that will all be taxpayer supported and should work together.
• Being part of a Board of Commissioners that listens carefully to the concerns of our fellow islanders, evaluates the island’s health care needs and diligently researches the most cost-effective way to spend the tax dollars entrusted to the Board.
• Over time, looking at how to improve home health care and how to implement evolving technology that can allow Orcas Islanders to access needed specialty care without leaving the island
Education: I graduated from Harvard University with an AB in Biology. I received my MD from University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed my Residency in Family Medicine at the University of Washington. I also earned a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene from the London School of Tropical Medicine.
Personal: I work with my husband, who I was lucky enough to meet on Orcas, on our own software for computer-aided medical diagnosis. I have loved volunteering as a physician in Zambia and Honduras. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, backpacking, skiing, kayaking, and playing my ukulele.
Orcas is our home, and we intend to continue to live here for many years. We too want and need excellent medical care on Orcas.