Neighborcare Health, a network of primary medical and dental care clinics in Seattle, reached an agreement in principal late last week to administer the health center at Sunrise Ridge.

“We’re very excited about this relationship,” said Dr. Gary Koch, the medical director of the clinic. “It was a process, and I am delighted we have a resolution.”

Neighborcare Health officials declined to comment at this time; however, others close to the situation say more information will be forthcoming soon, including the opening date and the list of providers who will be working there. Koch said he will return, as will several other staff and Dr. Jessica Wesch, who the Franciscans hired before they announced they intended to close. Koch also said he does not know how long a gap in services will run, but he estimates at least three to four weeks. The clinic, still under Franciscan leadership, is set to close Friday.

State Sen. Sharon Nelson, who has been involved in the process of bringing in a new provider, also expressed relief that an agreement — though not yet finalized — has been reached.

“We are small potatoes as far as health care is concerned. We are really lucky they have taken this step and come on board,” she said. “I have been on pins and needles waiting to find out if we were a go or no go.”

In its recent talks about serving the island, Neighborcare Health has indicated it would need community support to do so. To that end, Nelson said she has created a group of about a dozen islanders dedicated to raising the necessary funds in the coming weeks. The exact amount needed is not yet clear, but is expected to be about $300,000, according to attorney John Jenkel of the Vashon-Maury Health Collaborative, which is providing support services to the fundraising group.

“It’s a considerable amount, but it is what we need to get sufficient primary care on the island,” he added.

Tim Johnson, also a member of the health collaborative, said the largest projections for losses are for this start-up year and next year, but then the financial picture is expected to improve — and islanders will not be asked for assistance beyond what is needed.

“They are asking for the community to cover its losses,” he said. “If the losses are less, then less will be asked for.”

Like other islanders, Jenkel and Johnson have noted that the clinic at Sunrise Ridge has failed more than once, but they feel this situation is different. Neighborcare Health is a federally qualified health center, and as such qualifies for enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as other benefits. Additionally, they noted it is a mission-driven organization, focused on providing primary care, and is not in business to provide referrals or specialty care, which bring in higher fees.

“We feel Neighborcare Health is uniquely situated because of the type of organization it is to change the paradigm and provide sustainable care on Vashon,” Jenkel said.

He cautioned that more participation will be needed from islanders, however.

“It’s not a fix for the island health care situation if we simply delegate our health care to Neighborcare Health, but it provides the basis of a true fix if we take an active role in forming a partnership,” he said.

As Aug. 5 — the clinic’s closing date — draws near, Koch noted that patients there have several options for off-island care. Group Health members can see providers in that network if need be, and current clinic patients who are not Group Health members can be seen at any Franciscan clinic or urgent care facility, and the providers will have access to their records.

Beyond that, he said that clinic providers have been trying to deal with the upcoming closure from “day one.”

“We have done as much as possible to forestall shortfalls of medications,” he said. “For most chronic patients, things have been squared away.”

Jenkel also noted that with this change, it is important that islanders who may have left the clinic for off-island care come back.

“The island needs to help with the financial aspect, but also give the clinic its business. … It’s an important element of support,” he said, adding, “I think they (Neighborcare Health) are taking a chance on the island in the name of doing the right thing, and we need to hold up our end of that.”