A new hospital wing and more speciality doctors are just a few of the good things coming to Whidbey General Hospital in the next several years, said hospital Commissioner Nancy Fey.

“Whidbey General is very busy and we are looking forward to the next years and what’s to come,” she said.

She and fellow board member Ron Wallin as well as hospital staff were on hand at a town hall meeting Wednesday at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club, one of a series of three meetings across the island meant to better inform the public.

Wallin praised CEO Geri Forbes, saying she brought new energy, hired new senior leaders and is moving the hospital in the right direction.

“We needed a mother in charge, and she brought that,” he said.

The main room at the club was filled. During the wide-ranging presentation, officials touched on the $50-million wing now under construction and a plan to unite the hospital, its clinics and services under one umbrella name of WhidbeyHealth.

The hospital hasn’t yet announced a firm date of when that name change will take place. The hospital’s full name will be WhidbeyHealth Medical Center and each clinic or service will begin with the new name.

Whidbey General is following the lead of other hospitals in the area that also wish to reflect the diversity of services they provide, explained Keith Mack, the marketing and community relations manager.

The mishmash of signs and logos make it not immediately obvious all are connected, Mack said, adding the change will make it easier for the public to understand all the services offered and navigate local healthcare.

“We’ve grown a lot,” he said. “We are more than a general hospital.”

WhidbeyHealth also has a new logo, intended to be reminiscent of three figures facing outward toward the community, he said.

The chairperson of the newly-formed patient advisory council was on hand and assured the audience its members want to improve patient care and experience.

Those who attended had questions about why one insurer wasn’t covered — reimbursements weren’t high enough — and why the hospital didn’t seek accreditation from a national well-known certification group — there are other less, expensive ways to accomplish the same thing.

The final meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Whidbey General Hospital, Conference Room A & B.