Vote yes to help secure San Juan’s medical future | Letter
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Does anyone realize how desperate our small number of caregivers on the island are feeling these days, trying so hard to meet the needs for their services, and never being able to feel what they’re doing is enough?
There’s currently a way out for them — and for the rest of us! The levy lid lift on this fall’s ballot for the public hospital district will provide for training more caregivers, and give them a somewhat increased wage plus the benefits they don’t now receive, which is a way of keeping them in caregiving and on the island. In addition, it will provide for purchasing the Village at the Harbor as a focus for meeting these needs and for training more caregivers.
The cost to a homeowner will be an increased property tax bill of around 5% on average. This will turn the portion of your property taxes that go to the hospital district from around 10% of property taxes to around 15%. In return, residents receive primary care, EMS, and long-term care services. The increase is not much over $150 a year on a home assessed at half a million, close to the annual cost of a movie streaming service.
Vote yes for them, and for your own future needs.
Louise Dustrude
Friday Harbor
