Orcas Public Hospital District Candidates’ Statements: Patty Miller

Statement from Patty Miller:

I am asking for your vote to elect me as your San Juan County Public Hospital District #3, Commissioner District #5, on April 24^th. 

I realize that many folks are not able to attend the public meetings to meet the candidates for PHD commissioners. I thank Orcas Issues for this opportunity to share my views.

I generally prefer to see private industry competition provide as many services as feasible for our community and I worry when I hear people advocating for new taxes to pay for various services. I believe that taxation can often be the easy solution for complex problems. I recognize that those who will be hardest hit by new property taxes may be individuals who depend on our limited local wage-based jobs to raise their families, some of whom are long-time residents whose families have owned property here for generations.

These are also the people who provide the services we all depend on. As a community we need to retain these valuable citizens who make up the very fabric of the community we cherish. I also recognize that this ballot measure could not come at a worse time for all of us, given the other recent tax increases we have experienced.

While studying this issue, I have come to more fully appreciate how the dynamics have changed not only for our local system, but in the healthcare environment in general. I better understand that our system has relied upon massive private donations for many years and that some of the largest donors are no longer available to provide that support. I had seen the statistics on how our local population has been aging over the last several decades and I have now made the connection to how this change is impacting the financial viability of our healthcare practices. 

I now understand the level of federal subsidies we were receiving by being affiliated with a small hospital, and how we lost that option with the exit of Island Hospital.  While we have heard about changes to Medicaid and Medicare, I now realize how the reduction in reimbursements for services and increases in other requirements, such as technology, are impacting our local system.

I sincerely wish that I could find an alternative funding solution for ensuring that we all have access to primary and urgent care when needed. I have looked at other taxing options that might spread the burden differently, such as sales tax or lodging taxes. Unfortunately, the state controls how/when those taxes can be implemented and the reality is that the only viable funding mechanism they have allowed for healthcare services, is a property tax.

After understanding the realities of our present healthcare situation, I want to be a part of the development of an island appropriate health care system that will meet our needs in an efficient manner.  We will never be able to afford the level of services supported by larger populations, but I believe we can put in place a sustainable system that will provide the basic and most needed services.

It is important to recognize that voting on a PHD is not about whether you do or do not support a particular practice (UW/OFHC/Other), nor whether you think we should retain the practices as they are, or demand changes. The vote on a PHD is about if you think it is important for us to have viable health care services on the island, period. 

The two main practices have made it clear that without funding, they will not be able to remain in operation. How quickly they will close, only time will tell. Voting on the PHD is about whether we as a community, want to make the necessary investment in healthcare, just as we have in schools, EMS, Fire, etc. Is this service essential enough to the health of our community to insure its continued existence? Do the commissioner candidates share your priorities? Do you trust that they will work hard to protect what you value most and that they will make the changes you demand?

I believe my prior public office experience combined with my extensive financial and operational management experience enable me to be a strong contributing member of a PHD commission. I believe that with complex problems, the devil is in the details. I love to solve problems by dissecting the issues to gain a better understanding of all of the elements and then work to build solutions that address the most important elements. I realize that I have a great deal to learn about the specific dynamics of health care and look forward to partnering with my fellow commissioners and members of our community to broaden that knowledge. As a commissioner I promise to work tirelessly to:

• Utilize an unbiased, collaborative approach to work with my fellow commissioners, our island’s practitioners, and EMS to identify and implement solutions to improve our community’s primary, urgent, and after-hours care.
• Apply my extensive leadership and strong fiscal discipline to make educated, balanced, common sense decisions on how to most efficiently utilize precious tax dollars to support our health care system.
• Broaden my knowledge and understanding of the health care needs of our community by soliciting your input on priorities, goals, and solutions.
• Guarantee that any health care providers, who receive support from the PHD, are held to high standards regarding customer’s access to services and the quality of services provided.
• Ensure transparency in the operations and decisions of the PHD.

I thank you for your consideration, and I hope that I have the opportunity to exceed your expectations in forming San Juan County Public Hospital District #3 for our island.