Two years ago, approximately 60 percent of voters on San Juan Island supported Barbara Sharp, Bill Williams, and Monica Harrington for the public hospital district commission. Since that time the commission has:

• Cleaned up the financial situation of the Emergency Medical Services, which led to the successful passage of the EMS levy after two previous failures;

• Successfully negotiated with PeaceHealth to reduce by $50,000 per year the annual tax subsidy we pay to the hospital and used that money for services that the hospital can’t or won’t provide, including reproductive health care and death with dignity services; and

• Voted to support the community paramedicine program, which is leading to improved health outcomes for some of the repeat emergency callers.

Now, with Barbara Sharp’s term expiring at the end of the year, this very productive majority on the commission is at risk of being lost. But candidate Anna Lisa Lindstrum supports all these initiatives by the commission and will continue to support affordable health care for all islanders.

Anna Lisa Lindstrum is the only candidate who has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes. In addition, she shares the concern of members of the commission that the loss of the Life Care Center must be addressed in a meaningful way. I hope you will join me in voting for her now.

Lee Sturdivant

San Juan Island

We would like to express our enthusiastic support for Anna Lisa Lindstrum for Position 2 on the San Juan County Public Hospital District 1 Board of Commissioners. Six members of our family live on San Juan Island; we span three generations, from senior citizen to college student. As people who are involved in and care deeply about our community, we are acutely aware of the need for comprehensive and affordable health care on the island. Unlike other candidates, Anna Lisa unequivocally prioritizes this need, as evidenced by her public statements and remarks at meetings with voters. She stresses that Planned Parenthood offers critical services to both men and women and that a convalescence facility serves anyone who needs long-term care or rehabilitation, no matter their age. She knows that any of us may require end-of-life care at any age, and all of us are affected by the end-of-life care given to our loved ones.

Most importantly, Anna Lisa will bring a fresh perspective to the board that other candidates cannot; in addition to being a local businesswoman who is deeply rooted in the island community, she represents a younger generation of islanders. Furthermore, as a woman, Anna Lisa understands certain critical points on a personal level: that “women’s health” is simply health; that a woman’s reproductive parts are not separable from the rest of her body; and that a woman who needs medical treatment of any kind deserves to be treated as a whole person.

Anna Lisa Lindstrum has the passion, knowledge, and experience to improve health care for everyone in the island community. She deserves a full vote, not a write-in, for a position on the board.

Yasmin, Michelangelo, Sasha, Bethery, Ellery von Dassow

San Juan Island

Please join me in voting for Anna Lisa Lindstrum for Hospital Commissioner Position 2. Anna Lisa will bring to the position a fresh intelligence, commitment to the health care of all San Juan Islanders, and a willingness to work with others to accomplish what is in the best interests of us all. It is past time to bring a new generation of citizens to the Hospital District Commission. A vote for Anna Lisa is a vote for tomorrow!

Karin Agosta

San Juan Island