Kira Erickson reports from the Island County Board of Health meeting of Tue., Dec. 17, 2024 for the Whidbey News-Times.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will soon open a new clinic at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Captain Mark Lund shared this exciting piece of news and other information during a recent presentation to the Island County Board of Health about Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor, which serves about 16,000 beneficiaries.
The commanding officer explained that the clinic focuses on primary care. The site no longer offers inpatient services, labor and delivery or operations. While the clinic previously provided maternity care and delivered babies, this service ended in 2019 as part of broader changes implemented by the Defense Health Agency across military treatment facilities nationwide.
A service agreement with WhidbeyHealth, however, allows for the treatment of patients in need of surgery, as well as those seeking services such as the emergency room, walk-in clinics and women’s health.
They Said It
[Referring to the challenges the clinic has face in hiring staff,] Commissioner Janet St. Clair said she knew housing has been a challenge, and some deployed personnel are coming from as far away as Sedro-Woolley.
[The opening of a small clinic in Oak Harbor] “is so exciting,” St. Clair said. “And I know you all have been working on that for a couple of years.”
Commissioner Melanie Bacon agreed that this was big news for Island County’s veterans, who make up a large portion of the population.
The Board of Health also briefly talked about problems with reimbursement…. St. Clair said an analysis of payment rates showed it was 23 cents on the dollar on average, with it being significantly worse for OB-GYN care.
“So it’s just a challenge when you look at women’s health care and the wait times for expectant mothers in emergency care,” she said.
