Orcas Island Community Briefing
Thursday, March 18 from 5 – 6 p.m.
||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT |||
Please join leaders from Island Hospital and the Island Primary Care – Orcas Clinic as they share the latest on how the transition is going, what to expect as far as staffing and appointments, and how to access after-hours care as we prepare for the clinic opening April 5, 2021.
This meeting is a virtual event and will be held via Webex. Registration is required so please RSVP below. You will receive login information via email upon registration. Click WebEx Tips & Pointers if this will be your first time using Webex.
Register for the Orcas Island Community Briefing | Island Hospital
For questions or concerns, please contact: marketing@islandhospital.org
**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.**
I had no idea that you could not register on the 18th for the meeting. I tried and was rejected. Were all of the health district commissioners there? if so this is a violations of the Washington OPMA as registration/RSVP is not required for a open public meeting.
I registered an hour or so before the meeting, and it worked fine. The “registration” consisted of giving them contact information so they could email me the link to the WebEx session.
Perhaps the problem is with the WebEx platform.
This was an Island Hospital Meeting, not a local District meeting ?
I would like to respond to the reference to the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). The OIHCD Commissioners and I take our responsibilities to uphold the requirements for public meetings to be open, accessible and transparent very seriously. The Community Briefings are not subject to the OPMA as they do not meet the definition of a public meeting.
As defined by the RCW, in order for there to be a meeting for OPMA purposes, the Board must take “action,” as defined in RCW 42.30.020(3):
“Action” means the transaction of the official business of a public agency by a governing body including but not limited to receipt of public testimony, deliberations, discussions, considerations, reviews, evaluations, and final actions. “Final action” means a collective positive or negative decision, or an actual vote by a majority of the members of a governing body when sitting as a body or entity, upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order, or ordinance.”
Since the members of the District were spectators and not participating in any discussion or deliberation, there was not a “meeting” for OPMA purposes. This is confirmed by RCW 42.30.070, which provides in part:
“It shall not be a violation of the requirements of this chapter for a majority of the members of a governing body to travel together or gather for purposes other than a regular meeting or a special meeting as these terms are used in this chapter: PROVIDED, That they take no action as defined in this chapter.”
I regret anyone was unable to register and am looking into that to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The good news is the meeting was recorded so everyone in the community will be able to listen to what was shared once the recording is posted. I expect that to be early next week, and I will provide a Notice on the OIHCD website when Island Hospital has it available. I am also available to answer any additional questions or concerns.
Thank you to the almost two hundred households who were able to join us last night. We appreciate the engagement from our community.
Brian, I am unsure why I was unable to register. I used Safari to request my RSVP. I use WebEx weekly for Oregon Health Sciences University conferences so not a WebEx.
With respect to the OPMA, as there was no circulated agenda, I was unable to determine exactly how the board was participating. I don’t really want to debate further on the OPMA, and agree that if they to no action or deliberation of a potential action. I stress that deliberations of actions are included as intent of the OPMA, pease see RCW 42.30.010, which extends to “and their deliberations be conducted openly”. Aside from just taking any actions, discussions of potential actions by a majority of the board must also be held in public, whether past or future. That said, I am glad to hear that only Art Lange spoke, hence not comprising a majority of the board.
I am pleased to hear the event was recorded and look forward to watching it.
Greg Ayers
Orcas Island
How can we access the recording of this event?
To: Michael Riordan, a quote from Anne Presson:
“The good news is the meeting was recorded so everyone in the community will be able to listen to what was shared once the recording is posted. I expect that to be early next week.”
theOrcasonian will post when we have a date/time for the release.