Spring 2025 Newsletter

There is so much need. We encounter this need every day, whether in the home care environment, the assisted living setting, or the emergency medical services (EMS) environment. So many people struggle, whether it’s a broken bone from a fall, the slow (or fast) progression of dementia, suffering from chronic illness, or just struggling to bathe and clothe due to mobility issues.

One thing that is always true: nobody really expects it to happen. Few people plan for or hope to end up in an assisted living situation. Almost nobody expects to ever really need to call 911. For that matter, how many of us ever truly expect to age?

The public hospital district is there for you.

Our paramedics and EMTs at San Juan Island EMS are nationally recognized for the care that they provide. Our staff and volunteers train regularly to the highest standards, and have a wide scope of practice. Our EMS service provides the only transport and advanced care available in our area. We’re one of many hospital districts that provide EMS services in this state.

In 2022, the District purchased Village at the Harbor. This ensured that assisted living services are available to our community. In years past, these islands had many adult family homes, a nursing home, and more. Most have closed. Village at the Harbor is one of the last and only resources available to families in this county. It is filled with light, joyful activity, and full of human connection. Many have remarked on what a special space it is, and not what they expected in the best way possible.

Many would like to stay in their homes but need extra help. This extra help can be very hard to find, even if you can afford it. In 2024, the District started a new home care service, Village at Home. It has been growing in fits and bounds, and is the only licensed home care service in the county. Private caregivers outside of an agency like ours aren’t required to be credentialed, so our agency provides a vital service with well trained professionals who are screened and supervised. They do amazing work.

We want to reassure you that the hospital district’s services are stable and expanding. We are aware of a great deal of distress in the world of government, whether it’s the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall or federal government changes. Our services continue to be financially viable and operationally successful. Ongoing taxpayer support makes services available when they would not be otherwise.

Although the hospital district does not operate a hospital, we are fortunate to have a partnership with PeaceHealth on San Juan Island, and our financial support helps keep them in our community.

We are so grateful for the committed providers who wake up each day to serve the public, and for a public that sees the value and importance of the services that we provide. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Nathan Butler, Superintendent and Anna Lisa Lindstrum, Chair of the Board of Commissioners