VASHON ISLAND, Wash. -- With the only clinic on Vashon Island now closed, community members are launching a fundraising campaign to come up with a solution to a gap in medical care.
CHI Franciscan Health recently pulled out because of financial reasons, leaving the 10,000 island residents without a place for primary care or emergencies.
"It's a crisis," said Assistant Chief Bob Larsen with Vashon Fire and Rescue. Larsen says the alternative has been for paramedics to transport patients by ferry to Seattle, which can take up to three hours and tie up half of the staff.
"We need a clinic on Vashon," he said. "If we don’t have one, it's going to drive up emergency service costs, and it's going to drive up the cost for families who live here to have to keep going to town for routine doctor visits."
The median age on Vashon Island is now over 55.
Officials began talks to attract a new clinic move into its place in anticipation of the closure.
Neighborcare Health, a non-profit based in Seattle, says it's committed to opening a new clinic on the island in mid-September. But, CEO Michael Erikson says the provider will operate at a loss for the first few years.
Fundraising efforts are a key reason Erikson says it's interested in opening a new location on the island. Organizers have a goal of around $300,000 to make the deal work.
"We are very intrigued that we can make this work on the island," said Erikson.
