Submitted by the Catherine Washburn Medical Association and Lopez Island Medical Clinic

As a result of four months of work, three medical organizations have entered into discussions for a possible partnership with Lopez Island Medical Clinic. Dr. Wilson believes all three would be strong choices, allowing the clinic to continue the current level of patient care, services and insurance coverage.

The CWMA/Clinic team working on the partnership is following up with each organization: site visits to clinics similar to ours are scheduled, on-going discussions with the leadership of each group and further research is underway.

“We do ask for the community’s patience on this,” said CWMA President Marty Clark. “We wish we could announce the names of possible partners now, but due to confidentiality and contract issues with each of them, the names can’t be made public yet. We will host a public information meeting just as soon as we can. At that time, we’ll be asking for community questions and input.”

In the meantime, the clinic/CWMA team handling the search is discovering that changes in national and state healthcare will necessitate other changes for us. Significant financial shifts and unknowns are creating challenges for healthcare providers around the country. For many, expenses are increasing while revenues (reimbursements) are decreasing. To prepare for that eventuality, the CWMA Board is proposing a hospital taxing district to Lopez voters.

“It has become clear to the board that the stability of our clinic will require a different kind of relationship with our future partner, no matter which one we chose. We feel that a taxing district is a pro-active step that would help provide crucial stability for Lopez Clinic in the long term,” said Christa Campbell, CWMA vice president and member of the partnership search team.

To include the measure on the April 2017 ballot, at least 220 registered Lopez voters must sign a petition that would then be submitted to the county on Jan. 9. Once the measure is on the ballot, a community team will work between January and April to answer questions and provide information about the proposed taxing district. Petitions are available at Lopez Island Pharmacy and Lopez Clinic. CWMA board members and others are also collecting signatures.

Passing the measure in the April election would allow taxes to be collected in 2018. Putting the measure on an August or November ballot would delay tax collections until 2019, which could make it necessary to secure funds needed before that time from another source.

Since 1972, the CWMA has built and maintained the clinic building with funds raised through membership fees and donations. If the proposed measure passes in April, the role of the CWMA would change. The taxing district would be run not by the CWMA but by an elected five-person board of commissioners that would make decisions about how to use tax dollars to help support medical care on Lopez.

The amount of taxes levied will vary depending on who we select as our new partner, a decision that has yet to be decided. A partner that continues the present Lopez Clinic model – as a rural healthcare clinic affiliated with a 50-bed hospital – could continue the current reimbursement rate. That could set the levy rate at $.35/$1,000 of assessed value. For a San Juan County 2014 median house valued at $392,000, that would mean a tax of about $137/year. A partnership that lowers the reimbursement could result in a tax rate of $.50/$1,000 assessed value or about $196/year for a home valued at $392,000. The actual rate will be determined by the elected board of the taxing district, based on the budget they submit to the county. The maximum rate allowable is $.75/$1,000 assessed value, or $294/year for a home valued at $392,000.

CWMA Vice President Christa Campbell reminds people that they’re not being asked to vote for or against the taxing district at this time, “Signing the petition simply puts the measure on the ballot in April 2017.”