ISLAND HEALTH CARE

Recognizing a few more people

Thank you for the informative article on the history of Vashon health care (“Time and Again,” Dec. 12 edition). It would be impossible to identify all the dedicated people and groups who have given their time and money to the cause of island health care. There are two significant omissions in the article, however, which warrant correction.

Recognition should be given to the dedication of Dr. Gary Koch, who has given so much of himself to the various iterations of the Vashon Health Clinic over the years that the community owes him special recognition and gratitude. He has been the backbone of care on this island for well over a decade.

Also important to a complete history of island healthcare is the role of the Vashon–Maury Health Collaborative. The VMHC and its various associated entities worked for over 12 years providing a means by which the entities providing care on the island could communicate with the island community in the absence of any official governmental body.

The VMHC negotiated with the Franciscans to turn over valuable financial and treatment statistics before departing the island for use in soliciting other care providers. The group vetted other providers and used their own funds to retain expert help to explore alternative paths for care models and new care providers. The long-range goal of the group was the stabilization of an island healthcare program. That goal was achieved with the groundwork the VMHC and its associated groups laid for a stable funding source for island health care in the form of the Vashon Health Care District.

The group was ably chaired through the years by Tag Gornall. The core steering group included Rex Stratton, Carol Ireland, Dr. Mary Bergman, Annie Miksch, Tim Johnson, Bill Seltzer and Bev McCullough. These community members spent hundreds of hours and their own money in pursuit of better community health.

The health care landscape on the island is still evolving. It will continue to improve if individuals in our community show the spirit and generosity that so many islanders have demonstrated in past years.

John Jenkel