Health care district commits $1.5 million to Mobile Integrated Health
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Vashon Island Fire & Rescue and Vashon Health Care District have officially joined forces to fund Mobile Integrated Health — a fire district program delivering nonemergency medical care and social services to islanders both in their homes and the examination room of Fire Station 55, on Bank Road.
On June 9, VHCD and VIFR officials inked a three-year agreement (tinyurl.com/VIFRVHCD) committing VHCD to $1.5 million in health care district tax revenue to subsidize MIH operations — $501,781 annually from 2026 to 2028.
This funding follows a $250,000 disbursement from VHCD to VIFR (tinyurl.com/526puedj) last fall, after the two agencies agreed to develop a longer-term agreement to fund MIH.
At the signing ceremony, Brigitte Schran Brown, VIFR board chair, expressed gratitude for the partnership, saying it allows VIFR to redirect a significant portion of its own tax revenue to its core operations.
“MIH makes it possible for VIFR’s crews and aid cars to be better able to respond to truly life- and property-threatening emergencies,” Shran-Brown said. “As 911 calls continue to rise at VIFR, we no longer have to transfer patients with clogged catheters or non-life-threatening injuries off-island. MIH now handles these and other calls from islanders whose illnesses and conditions might otherwise develop into more serious cases requiring transport to the mainland. It’s such a win for all of us.”
Deputy Fire Chief Ben Davidson, after signing the agreement, echoed Shran-Brown’s comments.
“Mobile Integrated Health surpasses my expectations every day and brings tremendous benefits to the community,” he said.
Vashon’s MIH staff, which includes two Spanish speakers, diagnoses and treats a wide range of non-emergency health issues including viruses, infections, sprains, strains and lacerations requiring sutures. The program’s physician assistant and three registered nurses also perform tasks including post-hospitalization check-ins and care, catheter cleaning, wound care, immunizations, medication management, fall prevention assessments and nutrition and wellness checks.
MIH’s staff also includes two social workers, standing by to help Vashon residents navigate assistance for eldercare, mental health and substance abuse issues, among other needs. The program also provides transportation vouchers to islanders who need to access off-island health care.
DispatchHealth and MIH
VHCD’s commitment to support MIH comes as its current two-year contract with DispatchHealth, a for-profit mobile health care, expires at the end of the year.
Under that contract, the Denver-based company has received an annual subsidy of $560,000 from VHCD to provide urgent care eight hours a day, seven days a week, on Vashon.
In the past two years, DispatchHealth’s staff of nurse practitioners and physician assistants have made approximately 2,000 visits to islanders’ homes to treat and diagnose urgent care needs, said Tim Johnson, VHCD’s superintendent.
But the company’s future on Vashon is now uncertain, said Johnson, given DispatchHealth’s announcement last fall that it would cease most of its other operations in Washington state — with the exception of its service on Vashon.
“DispatchHealth is a fabulous partner with us, providing excellent care to so many islanders,” Johnson said. “Given insurance difficulties and our increasing MIH presence, we still have a decision to make in terms of what the future of this partnership looks like.”
Should VHCD’s contract with DispatchHealth end or be reduced , VHCD’s funding of MIH could increase, he said. A section of the new contract between VHCD and VIFR states that a different level of compensation to VIFR could be triggered by a “loss or significant reduction of on-island primary care, urgent care or other identified service gaps.”
By the numbers
Vashon’s MIH program, launched in February 2024, is currently funded entirely by tax levies, with care provided at no out-of-pocket cost — essentially operating a rare form of single-payer health care for islanders.
Johnson said he will continue to investigate how VIFR could become accredited to collect insurance payments from patients who receive MIH services — but thus far, has found that doing so is a “byzantine process that could also add significant administrative costs to running the program.”
“It is not a priority,” he said of the accreditation process. “Patient care is the priority.”
And even if MIH is eventually able to work with insurers, he said, islanders with insurance will never be billed copays for treatment they receive from MIH. VHCD’s newly ratified funding will pay the bulk of the program’s expenses going forward. According to VIFR’s director of finance and human relations, Christina Bosch, that funding will be augmented by approximately $70,000 per year from King County’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy as well as $50,000 annually from VIFR’s general fund.
Since VIFR hired physician assistant Paul McGown (tinyurl.com/PaulMcGown) last fall and expanded the program to five days a week, MIH has seen rapidly increasing demand, said program director Lilie Corroon. According to Corroon, MIH worked with almost 700 patients in the first five months of 2026 alone. The program now receives an average six to 15 calls a day from islanders requesting same-day or next-day appointments, she said.
Corroon also celebrated the new agreement with VHCD, calling her work with MIH one of the most meaningful experiences of her career.
“Watching MIH grow from an idea into a service that people trust has reinforced why we started: to make sure our neighbors can get the right care at the right time, regardless of their age, income, insurance or citizen status,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has built, and our partnership with the health care district allows us to continue growing while keeping health care resources and tax dollars here on Vashon.”
At the signing ceremony, Johnson concurred, describing VHCD’s work with VIFR as deeply rewarding.
“This feels less like a culmination, and more like an exciting new beginning,” he said.
Johnson also pointed to how the new partnership fulfills his district’s current strategic plan (tinyurl.com/VHCDplan) to support behavioral health and urgent medical care while improving health care access for islanders lacking sufficient insurance coverage or access to health care.
Through its contracted partnerships, he said, VHCD now funds 12.5 direct-service staff positions across five programs and community organizations, including MIH, DispatchHealth, the DOVE Project, Vashon Youth & Family Services and Vashon Senior Center. These positions support in-home urgent and medical care, behavioral health, youth case management and senior services on Vashon.
These investments with MIH and other health care initiatives are not only remarkable, but also cost-effective, Johnson said.
“About 4.5 percent o thef total property revenue collected on Vashon goes to the health care district, meaning that the new MIH funding represents about 1% of that total tax revenue,” Johnson said. “It’s an amazing return of service for that level of investment.”
Find out more or make an appointment to schedule care with MIH by visiting vifr.org/mih or calling 206-463-2405. Appointments are strongly encouraged, as the MIH team is often out on home visits.
Elizabeth Shepherd is a former editor and reporter for The Beachcomber.
