The San Juan County Hospital District 1 has placed a levy lid lift on the Nov. 4 election ballot, called Prop 1. On Oct. 12, Rick Frazer, Hospital District commissioner, gave a presentation about the levy increase proposal, what the district does and why additional funding is needed.

“We are trying to develop a sustainable solution for the hospital district to continue its services … and enhance those services,” Frazer told attendees Oct. 12. “Everyone has seen articles … in the paper about health care cuts and major changes to health care.”

No one knows where government funding for health care will end up, Frazer continued, but a bill with cuts to Medicaid has already been passed.

In response to what is or what may be on the horizon, the district is requesting a levy lid lift from the current rate of $0.5067 per $1,000 in assessed value to $0.71 for 2025 (for collection in 2026). This would mean an approximate tax increase of $100 annually for a $500,000 home or $200 annually for a $1,000,000 home.

Frazer backed up a moment to explain what hospital districts are, before moving ahead to talk about what the money would be used for.

In Washington state, hospital districts were formed in 1945. They are locally created and community-owned government agencies established by local citizens to provide health care services such as hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and emergency services. Today, there are 58 such districts statewide. Locally, San Juan County Hospital District 1 consists of 104 staff members and volunteers. They do not own, manage or run Peace Island Medical Center. The two do have a contract, however, and the district does provide PeaceHealth Peace Island with some financial assistance.

Between Peace Health, Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center, the San Juan Prevention Center and Mount Baker Planned Parenthood, the District distributes over $5M annually.

They also operate Village at the Harbor, the only assisted living facility on the island that has Medicare beds; Village at Home, which provides personal, companion and respite care among other services; and emergency medical services, which responded to 5,759 calls in five years, approximately three calls every single day. Responding to emergencies is not all EMS does. They have a number of outreach programs, including providing car seat loans, providing bike helmets for both kids and adults, and loaning life jackets to children at the Roche Harbor docks and the Port of Friday Harbor. Want to take an emergency training class? EMS offers a variety of certified, up-to-date emergency learning courses.

A paramedicine program was established in 2016 to bridge a gap between health care providers and the resources people need to stay in their homes. The Community Paramedicine program goals, the EMS website explains, are to improve the quality of life and health for the community and identify short- and long-term interventions to improve a patient’s well-being. With the goal and bridging the health care gap, fewer 911 calls and emergency room visits for preventable health care services are made. This is a win-win situation, enabling people to have better health while staying in their home, and keeping local first responders’ call volume lower.

Looming government cuts are concerning, as 60% of patients transported used Medicare. Another 11% used Medicaid, 22% were covered commercially and 7% used private pay. An overwhelming majority, 71%, use a federal or state health care program.

“If the government starts cutting Medicaid, starts adjusting Medicare, we are not going to have as much revenue coming through our EMS services,” Frazer said, and that is a grave concern.

Should local care be impacted by these cuts, islanders would need to travel off-island for services currently found here. Not only does that add additional expenses of hotels, transportation and meals, but also additional time for treatment, Frazer explained.

“Nobody wants to pay taxes. Nobody wants to hear taxes are going up,” Frazer told the crowd, reiterating that the district is a community-run agency and it is the community’s choice. “But what happens if we didn’t have [those services] here? Let’s face it, when you have to go off island, you have to find time to do it. You have to be able to get off work.. If you have an emergency situation, you have to be able to have something close by. If you have to take a ferry, then you have to find a ride or take your vehicle off. If it lasts longer than a day, you are going to be eating, staying at hotels. That costs us a significant amount of dollars, time and effort.”

To learn more, visit https://www.healthcare4islanders.com/.