An Update from Eventide Health

June 1 marks a milestone for Eventide Health. It’s the beginning of our 6 month mark, but it’s also the actual start of our organization. It’s taken us far longer than anticipated to get all of the extensive governmental and insurance processes done to be a fully separate entity from San Juan Healthcare (which now finally no longer exists).

Now that this hurdle is behind us you can expect to see changes over the next few months; some big, some small. We’ve learned a lot about what we’re capable of through this trial by fire of reinventing a medical practice during a global pandemic. No easy task, but we feel confident that the successes we’ve worked so hard to achieve will help us in our next phases.

We mark the start of this week with our new sign that went up Friday afternoon after the clinic closed. It’s unclear if we’ll stay at this current location longterm, but it sure felt great to get our name up properly. Lots of smiling faces and cheers as the sign went up (and yes, Heather and Gina didn’t have their mask because they were on the way out of the office and jumped in for the photo). 

Lots of thanks are in order to our staff of 15 amazing individuals:

Gina Sandwith – your quick smile, incredible work ethic and willingness to take on every task is the heartbeat of our office. This effort would have crumbled without you. Thank you.

Dr. Mark Fishaut – as the only practicing pediatrician on the island you have a heavy task and you bring years of expertise and wisdom that our kids and schools can’t do without. You do more than most know and few will fully appreciate it. Thank you.

Heather Christensen, PA – you are a steady and willing hand in medicine. This community and our organization is incredibly fortunate to have you. Your constant willingness to get the job done is a big part of what keeps our office moving. Thank you.

Caroline Hansen, PA – your easy going approach and willingness to always take on anything that needs to be done is a hard combo to beat. Your Spanish fluency is a life-saver and your great derm background an unbeatable resource. Thank you.

Jill Berger – Frontline medical reception; one of the most challenging jobs there is and you handle it like a champ. Your graphics expertise and art background as well as willingness to just get-it-done is wicked awesome. Thank you.

Tabby Talley – Again, frontline medical reception; not an easy task, but your quiet determination is a cornerstone of our efforts. Thanks for helping us to always evaluate how to make Eventide a Safe Space that welcomes everyone. Thank you.

Jessica Moseley – our Jane of All Trades with a tech background temp. Thank you for always being willing to drop in, even on short notice to help out with anything we need. Thank you.

Elizabeth Wainwright – our referral guru; your ability to get referrals done is mind-boggling. Your flexbility and timeliness in efforts never go unnoticed. Thanks for always jumping in on any task. Thank you.

Christina Giamalis – billing and coding and reviewing, oh my!! To say we literally couldn’t do what we do without you is squarely in the center of Understatement-ville. A million million shining thank you’s for helping keep us afloat and for the constant stream of great ideas. Thank you.

Gabe Conway, MA – EMT skills, house-building skills, photographer, rooming patients pro-mode…..what is it exactly that you CAN’T do?! Every day you’re in clinic is a good day. Thank you.

And finally, the nurses. There literally aren’t enough adjectives to describe your work and your presence in our clinic. Nurse comes from the Latin word “nutrire” – to nourish. Each of you feed the needs of the sick and the hurting on a daily basis. Doctors may get the attention, but nurses deserve the glory (and better payscale).

Sarah Mountford, RN – to say we couldn’t have gotten through our COVID testing efforts without you would be an understatement. You keep us laughing (in an office that’s thankfully always full of laughter). You keep us scheduled and on track. You treat your patients like they’re your family. You are a shining example of what every nurse should strive to be. Thank you.

Amanda Rennick, RN – Integrity and hard work. You have the market cornered for these ideals. You are in the class of nurses that patients are literally lucky to have. There doesn’t seem to be a task that you’re not up to or can’t handle like you were born to do. Thank you.

Melissa Sehgal, LPN – animal activist, our resident vegan and badass who brings A game each and every day. Any institution would be lucky to have you. We’re glad you’re at ours. Between you and Sarah our COVID testing efforts would have never been as successful. Thank you.

Don York, RN – like everyone’s favorite uncle and handyman, Don is a joy to have around. He’s been out since the COVID craziness began and is sorely missed. Thank you.

Kelsey Lynch, RN – the rockstar in our lab. You draw blood like Dre drops beats. You do the work of 5 people in our busy lab and never balk at anything thrown your way. You, Sarah and Melissa get top honors for our COVID testing efforts. Your ability to juggle and organize is baffling. Don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing. Thank you.

And to Kay Hodgkin, RN for jumping in when we need you, thank you! And to Heidi Blackford for keeping a clinic clean (a daily Herculean effort that’s always done with perfection).

Thank you! A very special thanks to the families and friends of all these individuals who support them and listen to their frustrations and help buoy them up when this job feels unbearable at times. Thank you to all the amazing people in our community who help and care and connect – the list is long. Thank you to Peace Health for being there for our island; we may be different institutions but you always have our support. Thank you.

It takes a shocking amount of money and effort to run a private practice (more than most will even guess at), but it also takes a team of outstanding individuals to make it happen. All of you bring brilliant, luminous talent and strength together on a daily basis to care for our community here in the Salish Sea. And for that…..we are thankful.

Looking forward to the next six months and beyond. To our community, patients and supporters, THANK YOU. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

“A rising tide lifts all boats.” – JFK

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