Monica Harrington Running for Hospital District Commissioner

Monica Harrington – Contributed photo

My name is Monica Harrington, and I’m running for public hospital district commissioner here on San Juan Island.

My goal is serve the interests of the public.  I believe in accountability, transparency, and ongoing, responsive oversight to ensure our public tax dollars are spent wisely and islanders can access essential health services at reasonable rates.  I wholeheartedly endorse the Patient Bill of Rights recently adopted by the San Juan County Board of Health.

As a Public Hospital District Commissioner, it would be my job to represent the public and make sure we’re getting value for our public dollars.

In my view, costs to patients at the PeaceIsland facility are too high, patients are being denied essential services for reasons that have nothing to do with medical necessity or fairness, and there’s been a lack of transparency and respect for the rights of voters.

Since the opening of the PeaceIsland facility, some services have been added, others have been reduced or eliminated, and costs to islanders have gone up dramatically.  Gross revenues for an out-patient visit at PIMC last year averaged more than $1100, according to a document submitted by PeaceHealth to the WA Department of Revenue. The in-patient facility is operating at 6% of total capacity, with average per-patient gross revenues of more than $10,000.

The San Juan County Public Hospital Taxing District entered into a 50-year, $80-million exclusive contract without a public vote. And they effectively turned control over to a vendor to decide what services will and won’t be offered.

We need to find a path forward where islanders regain control or the situation will get worse.   The American Civil Liberties Union has already written a letter to the current public hospital district commissioners, saying it believes the existing contract violates State law and the Washington State Constitution.  The ACLU recently filed suit against Skagit’s public hospital district and made clear they intend to ensure all public hospital districts in WA are operating in compliance with the law.

These issues are serious.

The people who orchestrated the current deal with PeaceHealth did so with the best of intentions and with a lot of heart.  I doubt anyone intended to create a system where islanders needing urgent care are routed through an emergency room process where costs and billings have skyrocketed. I doubt anyone intended to burden our health care infrastructure with hospital beds that go largely unused.  And it’s doubtful anyone intended to turn control for policy decisions over to the Catholic bishops. But that’s the situation we now face and we can make it better.

My professional experience is all about solving tough problems.  As a former technology executive turned patient rights advocate, I understand financial documents, and have managed businesses large and small, including some small businesses that became very large businesses later.   I’ve also managed external vendors successfully over many years and worked in the nonprofit sector, including at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and for nonprofits that are having an impact reducing costs and improving efficiency here in the U.S. and around the world.

As a public servant, I will work hard to get costs under control.  I will make sure our publicly financed health care, including EMS services, works for islanders.  I will work with state officials, to navigate a path forward that is pragmatic, positive and where we can feel comfortable we’re operating in compliance with State law.

I want to earn your vote this August and November and I look forward to a robust conversation about the issues.

The health care we pay for and subsidize is OUR health care.  We can make it work better for all of us.  Thank you.

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