WHIDBEY ISLAND: WhidbeyHealth hospital board candidates offer prescriptions for success

Jessie Stensland reports on elections for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.

Two doctors are vying to sit on a board that will decide the future of Whidbey Island’s hospital public district, which employs more than 700 people and runs a critical access hospital, eight outpatient locations and three EMS stations.

Dr. Dennis Rochier, a South Whidbey resident, and Dr. Kirk Gasper, a North Whidbey resident, both believe that the WhidbeyHealth board would benefit from having a physician who can provide insight into the health care system as voting members.

But with their similarities, the two candidates would bring different experiences to the board.

They Said It

Rochier emphasized that he has background in working with rural critical access hospitals like WhidbeyHealth when he was director of primary care and chief medical officer at Renown Health in Nevada. After a career that included the head of internal medicine at Virginia Mason in Federal Way and chief physician executive at Overlake Medical Clinic in Bellevue, he moved to Whidbey and worked as a clinician and medical director at WhidbeyHealth’s clinic in Freeland before retiring.

“I understand the unique challenges and the unique opportunities that face rural health care systems and critical access hospitals,” he said, explaining that “critical access” is a designation that provides the facility with higher Medicare reimbursement but comes with requirements — such as 24-hour emergency care.

Gasper was a physician in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps for 20 years and retired with the rank of captain. He was chair of medical services at the Navy hospital in Naples, the director of health care business in the Yokosuka Navy hospital and director of medical services at Naval Hospital Oak Harbor. He currently works for a company that provides telehealth services.

Rochier said that his experience gives him a better understanding of the financial and other pressures that face WhidbeyHealth. He pointed out that doctors who work for the military have guaranteed salaries and don’t have to worry about working for a system with financial challenges.

Gasper counters that he has lived on Whidbey longer than his rival and has roots in the community. He pointed out that about 30% of WhidbeyHealth patients are on TRICARE, the military’s health care program.

“I have extensive knowledge of what they are going through and what care they need,” he said.

In addition, Gasper explained that his wife is a pediatrician in the community and provides him with “extensive feedback from the pulse of the island’s pediatric community.”

“She is my touchstone,” he said.

“Beyond that,” he added in an email, “I spent the last 12 years of my Navy career in leadership roles on the boards of four different Navy medical facilities — experience that directly translates to the responsibilities of a hospital commissioner. I found those leadership roles both rewarding and enjoyable.”

Rochier said his top concern with the hospital is its financial state. He has attended meetings and was alarmed to hear at a recent meeting that the hospital has only two days of “cash on hand.” A healthy rural critical access hospital, he said, should have 30-60 days.

Part of the problem, he surmised, may be the billing practices. He’s heard from people in the community who say they don’t receive bills for medical services for a year or longer. In fact, he went to the ER more than a year ago and still hasn’t received a bill.

Gasper noted that the “payer” mix on Whidbey Island means that the hospital will always be operating close to break even and that upcoming Medicaid cuts associated with the “Big Beautiful Bill” may make the problem worse. Because of these financial constraints, he said it’s vital to have a board that can make tough decisions.

“You can’t have it all,” he wrote. “Making these decisions with wisdom and sound judgement is key to being a successful hospital board. Do you allocate money to recruit and maintain the best medical staff? Spend money to upgrade aging facilities or add new high-tech equipment (i.e. PET scanners, robotic surgery)? Expand rehabilitation, hospice, or mental health care. All will be very, very difficult decisions with no easy answers.”

In addition, Rochier sees a lack of communication as an endemic problem. While people have consistently told him they receive “outstanding” medical care, many are frustrated by difficulties with getting into contact with providers and account services. People leave messages, for example, and never hear back. His father is at an assisted living facility and staff there warned him against moving his father’s care to a Whidbey clinic because they simply don’t return calls, he said.

“They need to focus on fixing their communication,” he said of the district. “The problem is more of a cultural thing.”

Finally, Rochier would like the hospital to consider opening a pharmacy on South Whidbey. CVS took over the Rite Aid, the last pharmacy on the South End, but the lines and wait times are long, and people want another option. The hospital opened a well-regarded pharmacy in Coupeville, and Rochier wants the board to explore opening a second one.

On the Ballot in November 2025