Hospital board candidates have a clear political agenda | Letters

Our island is lucky to have a hospital, how many communities our size have a hospital?

Several months ago I wondered why the San Juan County Democrats would endorse three candidates running for the non-partisan public hospital board election. Now after seeing the yard signs listing three candidates, I realized  there is an political agenda; and that agenda is a veiled attack against the Catholic religion.

Before PIMC was built the citizens of San Juan County were sending over a million dollars to IIMC. There was no public controversy over “women’s health,” a buzz word for abortion.

The hospital is basically furnishing the same services, and more, from what we received from the old clinic. The doctors at IIMC decided not to provide maternity care because of the realities of economics and insurance requirements. The doctors at PIMC are still faced with those same realities.  Religious influence was not a factor in either decision about local provision of maternity care.

Now that money is going to a Catholic associated hospital some people are now suddenly concerned about “woman’s health.” Why? Is our local hospital now part of a national ACLU campaign against Catholics?

The money we are paying to the hospital district is being used for our benefit much more than it was before. As I understand it the district money is being used to maintain a 24-hour emergency room, which we never had before; helping to maintain the clinic; with better services than what we had from the old clinic, and providing charitable help to our needy citizens. Our tax dollars are contractually isolated from religious directive influences. They are being used to help needy islanders.

Remember, PeaceHealth was the only medical group willing to put their resources at risk to help us provide widely needed medical services we could not provide alone.

If those three partisan endorsed candidates are elected we will have disharmony for the next six years.  Already the ACLU has filed a complaint against the hospital, most likely initiated by one of the candidates.

Our island is lucky to have a hospital, how many communities our size have a hospital?

Lets elect people who will enhance our hospital.

Bob Levinson

San Juan Island