WHIDBEYHEALTH: Checking the pulse of Whidbey’s health care in 2023 (THIS IS WHIDBEY)

Kate Poss reports for her blog, This is Whidbey, from the Rural Health Care Forum hosted by WhidbeyHealth on Thu., Jun. 22, 2023.

I recently experienced symptoms of painful diverticulitis and needed immediate care. The on-call Kaiser nurse recommended I visit a walk-in clinic or an emergency department.

Wary about the quality of care I might receive at WhidbeyHealth Medical Center’s emergency room, based on a past experience, my husband drove me first to the ER in Anacortes. When we learned its CT scanner—which confirms the presence of diverticulitis—was down, we drove to the ER at the Skagit Valley Regional Medical Center to access its CT machine. Though I was at the center for more than four hours, the quality of care and diagnoses I received were excellent.

I am highlighting my personal experience to illustrate how little I know about the current pulse of the WhidbeyHealth Medical Center. The center’s financial woes and firing of its CEO last year underscored in my mind reasons why I wished to avoid being treated there. Last year, staff wages and employee morale were at a low point.

However the hospital board has appointed a new CEO, Nathan Staggs. He spoke at a Rural Health Care Forum June 22. Staggs and four others updated the public on Challenges and Opportunities of Health Care on Whidbey.

They Said It

Former county commissioner Helen Price Johnson moderated the forum…. “Creating prosperity and health in rural Washington state is my goal,” she wrote in a recent email. “Rural health care is a common problem. Housing is so expensive (in Island County, for instance, that it is] hard to get professionals to live here.We’re working with folks in Okanogan County who are struggling with similar issues.Their local hospital was a recipient of a USDA Emergency healthcare grant. They also struggle with affordable housing. The idea is to explore challenges, and figure out what the priorities are. We seek community-driven solutions.”

Nathan Staggs Whidbey Health’s recently appointed CEO, said recruitment is ongoing to fill a lack of special and primary care providers. Nurses are needed.

“Now a significant number of nurses are private contractors,” he said.. “It costs us double to pay them. With our shortage our of primary care physicians, nurses and lab techs, it’s the worst I’ve seen in a long time. It’s difficult for a small hospital to recruit and retain good people.”

James Golder, a commissioner serving with the property tax-funded Whidbey Island Public Hospital District, was the last to speak. He presented an optimistic picture over what was seen a year ago.

“We’re not the same hospital as last year,” he said. “Last year we were one payroll away from closing our doors. Staff was upset about management. Our CEO left. Most of the senior staff left. Our ship was adrift.”

“Our chairman stepped in and three things happened,” Golder added. The county helped us. Advanced us payments. We obtained a line of credit of $10 million. We hired a professional management company—at once the clouds cleared and the sun came out.”

Golder said staff was hired, accounting problems cleared up, staff frustrations were addressed. Salaries were raised—$48 an hour for nurses, for example. Furthermore WhidbeyHealth care began collaborating with the Sheriffs Department and the County Commissioners to collectively address mental health issues.

“Morale has improved substantially,” Golder added. “Staff are starting to come back. Some staff stuck with us. They made one heck of a commitment. We are going to survive.”

On the Ballot in 2023