Hospital District Pays off EMS Building

The Board of Commissioners of San Juan Island Public Hospital District #1 and Superintendent Nathan Butler are very happy to announce that the District has paid off in full the Frank Wilson Memorial EMS Building.

Superintendent Butler said “We are so privileged to have this building which carries the name of former EMS Chief Frank Wilson. The building has been an excellent investment and has allowed us to carry on Frank’s vision of service to the public.”

The move will open approximately $120,000 per year to fund other programs, such as sending a student to paramedic school in 2021. Commissioner Everett Clary, the Board Financial Officer, added “Public debt is sometimes necessary, but we are grateful to be able to redirect those funds to directly expand services.” This enables the District to afford a fifth paramedic and expand coverage options.

The building was built in 2013 with an original building bond of $2,000.000. A payment of approximately $800,000 from the old medical center helped to significantly reduce the overall debt burden in combination with nearly ten years of regular payments. The remaining $580,000 of the bond was retired on May 28, 2021.