The Vashon Health Care District discussed plans for a board retreat at their May 21 board meeting to decompress, evaluate priorities and work on building stronger community connections.
Conflicts with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue leadership over the launch of DispatchHealth amid VIFR’s Mobile Integrated Health strained relations between the two districts for months. Reflecting on those challenges, and others, led district superintendent Tim Johnson to propose the retreat.
“Sitting in a meeting with the fire department, it was awkward at times,” Johnson said. “There was no ill will. We just all faced the enormity of a really puzzling and difficult situation we went through. … Simultaneous to that … we’re starting to get a lot of communication from our neighbors. Some people feel we’re a bit inscrutable … Groups that have been under stress often bring in someone who helps people feel better about where they’re at, what they’ve accomplished, create a sense of unified vision, make sure you’re still on the same page, and also work on how we engage the public.”
A proposal for the event, facilitated by Kevin Joyce of EnJoy Productions, lists a fee of $6,000 for the two-day retreat.
“I think we are headed in the right direction,” Johnson said. “I think we’re also at an inflection point, where we need a lot more community buy-in as we move forward with big projects. … We need a community that’s better able to tell us what they’re thinking, not tell us what they’re fearing.”
The board voted to endorse the proposal for the retreat, which Johnson said could happen around mid to late-June.
Johnson noted during the meeting that DispatchHealth and VIFR personnel have now met directly. “We’re told from both ends of that dialog that they’re working on coordinating activities and collaborating with each other,” he said.
So too has VHCD’s vulnerable adult work group met with VIFR, he said, and the districts are considering the idea of teaming up at a combined booth at Strawberry Festival.
Also on May 21, the board approved a $5,000 grant to the Sam Yates Community Foundation to reimburse the foundation’s purchase of electrocardiograph machines to screen local students for heart abnormalities.
The district also shared the latest numbers from mobile urgent care provider DispatchHealth. Since its launch in October, the provider has made 730 visits in total, including:
• 69 visits in October
• 101 in November
• 142 in December
• 129 in January
• 93 in February
• 118 in March
• 78 in April
Johnson and the commissioners noted that the lower numbers since this winter correspond with the end of peak respiratory illness season.
And “it’s also a reminder that we’re paying for access, not volume,” Johnson said. “You’re not looking to generate volume just to justify the program. … We are trying to make sure that everybody that needs access can get it. That’s part of the reason why there is no commercial [urgent care] outfit on the island under their own flag, because there’s not enough population to create large volume.”
The District has also shared an update from Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Matt Beecroft. Kaiser is one of the last remaining insurers for which islanders have reported challenges in getting coverage for DispatchHealth visits.
“Kaiser Permanente and DispatchHealth are actively pursuing solutions to the access needs of our members on the island,” the statement said in part. “At this time, members who are on the PPO (First Choice) plan have coverage for care through DispatchHealth. We know that there have been reports of administrative delays and we’re currently working with DispatchHealth to ensure consistency in referral and billing procedures.”
