Submitted by Yes Prop. 1

Learn about Public Hospital District 1 and how to protect and preserve healthcare provided by Village at the Harbor, San Juan Island EMS, and Village Home during a public forum this Sunday, Oct. 12, from 2-4 p.m. at the Fairgrounds Marie Boe Building. There will be a presentation by Commissioner Rick Frazer covering what budget cuts may mean to islanders and why the Hospital District #1 is requesting a levy lid lift.

The Public Hospital District #1 runs the only assisted living facility in San Juan County (Village at the Harbor), and the only licensed home care service in the county (Village at Home), which is the only place people who have long-term disability insurance can get home-based care. The District also provides a crucial financial subsidy to Peace Island Medical Center, which, by contract, increases every year.

But local health care options are at serious risk:

Extreme cuts to Federal healthcare funding take effect next year, especially to Medicaid (which is Apple Health in Washington State!). The state has deficit problems and may not be able to help fix this gap.

Health care facilities are closing all around: Lopez Island is facing the loss of its clinic and scrambling to find a way to keep it open.

In Washington State alone, 14 rural and regional hospitals are at risk of closure, including St. Joseph’s in Bellingham.

The subsidy to Peace Island Medical Center rises every year by contract, which takes money away from assisted living and home care in the District budget.

The ability to subsidize Medicaid beds at Village at the Harbor is critically dependent upon local District funding since Medicaid reimbursement is lower than the cost of providing care.

Real financial problems are coming, and your Public Hospital District on San Juan Island is acting responsibly to manage these problems before they affect people in the community.

It’s a simple fact: the less the state and federal government is willing to spend on local healthcare, the more islanders will have to spend locally to sustain what the community has.

Learn more by visiting https://www.healthcare4islanders.com/.