Leaders in Island County health reflected on a busy year’s work ahead of the beginning of 2026.
The Board of Health and its Community Health Advisory Board each held 10 meetings over the last year, according to a recent report. The board passed a couple of key resolutions pertaining to its own operating consistency and aiding local businesses and continued to work on building healthy communities.
“We are proud of the progress made in collaboration with our staff, community partners and residents, and we look forward to continuing this work in the year ahead,” said Janet St. Clair, commissioner and the board’s chair this year
The board is made up of the three county commissioners, the Oak Harbor mayor, a representative from the hospital board, a liaison from the Navy health system and the county health officer. The board’s role is to “consider policies to improve the health and safety of Island County residents and visitors and to address issues presented by Island County Public Health staff and presenters,” according to the health board website.
Island County updated the fee schedule for its food safety program in 2025, Public Health Director Shawn Morris explained, which reduced fees for many local restaurants. Additionally, the board now permits the mayor of Oak Harbor and the WhidbeyHealth Hospital Commissioner to appoint alternatives to serve during their absences from meetings.
“This ensures we always have backup coverage for these key roles,” he added.
Advocacy letters are a “vital way for the board to speak up for the needs of Island County residents,” Morris said, noting that the board issued four of them this year. The letters addressed the need for consistent state funding for public health services, asked the Health Care Authority to “strengthen access to outpatient services,” expressed concern about Medicaid cuts to federal partners and supported local school boards’ push for inclusivity.
A key initiative of the year is that of the Community Health Improvement Plan.
“The CHIP is essentially our road map,” Morris explained. “It moves us from ‘identifying problems’ to ‘taking action,’ outlining exactly how we and our partners are addressing health needs.”
“Access to healthcare and behavioral health (services), housing affordability and support for our seniors” are Island County residents’ top priorities, Morris said, as identified in the 2024 Community Health Assessment. A final plan will be released in 2026, as community feedback is in the process of being gathered right now.
But Morris explained there are several major projects on the docket for the plan’s implementation. An update to the county’s sanitary code regarding the permitting processes for on-site the on-site septic program can be expected in 2026, as can the launch of a new resource directory.
In 2027, the board plans to formulate “safety protocols and certifications to launch back-to-school childhood immunization clinics,” Morris added.
