Latest Headlines from Coupeville and Central Whidbey

WhidbeyHealth officials think they’ve found their way out of the financial crisis, thanks to a timely assist from Island County Treasurer Wanda Grone.

WhidbeyHealth was unable to obtain an $8-$10 million loan that officials were expecting to receive from a health care lending firm in order to bridge a funding gap. Officials at WhidbeyHealth have been seeking a short-term loan in order to make payroll and cover other costs until revenues from the property tax levy come in. Officials said they should receive half of the tax funds, about $8 million, by the end of April.

The Board of Commissioners of the Whidbey Island Public Hospital District wrote a Sound Off column for the Whidbey News-Times discussing the recent turmoil at WhidbeyHealth.

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon’s weekly newsletter for Mar. 4,

Coupeville town council members debated how to keep town employees accessible to the public while affording them work-from-home opportunities.

Island County Commissioners declined to co-sign a loan for the Whidbey Island Hospital District. The district needs short-term financing to meet payroll until new levy funds begin to arrive in May.

The Whidbey News-Times published an editorial on Mar. 2, 2022, calling for the replacement of the board of commissioners of the Whidbey Island Hospital District.

Fired WhidbeyHealth CEO Ron Telles’ salary worked out to about $207 an hour, far higher than the average of $130 an hour for CEOs of similarly-sized nonprofit hospitals.

The superintendents of all three Whidbey school districts confirmed their district will follow Governor Inslee’s recommendation.

The Hospital District board has chosen management services firm HealthTechS3 to help run WhidbeyHealth, at a cost of $350,000 per year. They also named an interim CEO, Michael Layfield, whose annual salary is expected to be $375,000.