By RON WALLIN and

GREG RICHARDSON

Former WhidbeyHealth commissioners

Most people find it difficult to pinpoint the exact moment or motivation that led them to volunteer in service to their community, and we are no different. While our support to WhidbeyHealth spans more than 16 years for one of us and just under four for the other, we leave the Board of Commissioners having forgotten the initial spark that brought us here. What we will never forget, however, is how far this once-struggling critical access health care provider has come.

At several points in its history, WhidbeyHealth faced the very real possibility of closure or significant shrinkage. Our hope is that, despite long memories of those challenges, residents and visitors of Whidbey Island alike will recognize and appreciate its steady, methodical transformation into a first-class institution delivering high-quality health care services.

So, what can you expect for yourself, your family, and your guests when medical care is needed? In an emergency, you may be transported by one of the finest EMS systems and professionals in the state to a fully renovated Emergency Department. There, you will find highly qualified providers prepared to confront nearly any condition or coordinate transfer by ground or Life Flight helicopter when necessary. Temporary staffing in the Emergency Department has been significantly reduced, as it has been in our OB/GYN services and Family Birthing Center.

Inpatient and specialty services have expanded significantly and now include Oncology, Urology, Surgical Podiatry, Cardiology, Pulmonary care, and expanded OB/GYN services. Diagnostic capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of state-of-the-art technology, including a new MRI system. Additionally, the entire Operating Room complex — featuring four high-tech surgery suites — has been renovated to meet the highest standards of modern surgical care.

We recognize how essential routine and preventive health care are to our community. To that end, WhidbeyHealth has placed a strong emphasis on individual and family medicine, opening five primary care clinics, multiple urgent care centers staffed by a growing team of providers, and a pharmacy in Coupeville. Recruiting and integrating qualified physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants has been a distinct challenge that we willingly accepted, and significant progress has been made.

No health care system can succeed without effective communications and robust data management, and both have received substantial investment and attention in recent years. WhidbeyHealth has just passed the first year of its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan with 100% of stated goals achieved, including numerous upgrades to the physical plant, parking and technology infrastructure.

Finally, there is much to be proud of financially. For three consecutive years, WhidbeyHealth has posted year-end surpluses ranging from $500,000 to $1.3 million, all while investing nearly $30 million in capital improvements to support growth and expanded services. Its cash position and credit worthiness receive unrelenting attention. While no one can predict the future, we are confident and hopeful that WhidbeyHealth will continue to prosper under its Executive Leadership Team, its talented CEO, Nathan Staggs, and CFO, Paul Rogers, with a Board of Commissioners led by Marion Jouas, and reinvigorated by three new members committed to guiding the organization on your behalf.

Ron Wallin and Greg Richardson are former hospital commissioners who left the board in December after not seeking reelection.