I grew up in a rural community, and I moved to Vashon to raise my family in one, too. I’ll be proud to vote “yes” on Proposition 1 to create a Vashon Hospital District because I can’t imagine living on an island without local, quality health care.

When my daughter was born, I had just moved to the island and hadn’t switched to a doctor on the island. I didn’t know how often you had to visit the doctor with a newborn, so my family took the ferry back and forth for all the appointments. It was not easy. When my son was born, I was prepared, and made sure his doctor was on Vashon so I was able to take care of my family where I live.

We must vote “yes” this fall to ensure that everyone on our island — babies, toddlers, kids, teenagers, young adults, adults, and seniors — all of us have access to quality local health care.

— Lennon Bronsema