$12,000 given in scholarships Island Artisans is a local non-profit organization whose goal is to raise funds in support of young artists within our community. We have served San Juan County for approximately 40 years by granting scholarships to graduating students and supporting practicing artists. Island Artisans Holiday Market, our primary fundraiser, has always been  Continue Reading

Small businesses are relying more than ever on your support as they creatively cope with COVID.  Here’s the second of a series of stories about their survival. When COVID-19 became a global pandemic in March, all of us were suddenly navigating uncharted waters. However, San Juan Islands businesses have responded with compassion and ingenuity during these tough times.  Continue Reading

Special Deliveries: On One Morning, San Juan Island Fire & Rescue Joins Partner Agencies With Two Baby Deliveries This time, it wasn’t the stork who made the middle of the night call to assist two pregnant mothers. Just before 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 13, pagers beeped throughout San Juan Island announcing an urgent need  Continue Reading

Its wildfire season in the west and air quality is bad. Everyone, but especially those of us with compromising health issues are recommended to stay indoors with windows closed and avoid breathing the particulates in the smokey air as much as possible. You can check current air quality on the website Purple Air. In my  Continue Reading

Deanna from PeaceHealth shares this informative article from their blog with some steps you can take to protect your health when the air quality is poor… When wildfires create smoky conditions, it’s important to take extra steps to protect your health. Wildfire smoke can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It can make it  Continue Reading

Islanders, unable to afford dental care, can receive it for free thanks to the local nonprofit Fish For Teeth on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Mullis Community Center on San Juan Island. Due to health precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinic will host half of the number of patients usually  Continue Reading

Flu shots are now available at Eventide Health. It’s important to get yours early this year. We will be hosting a few flu clinics this year and carrying on the tradition of San Juan Healthcare and offering the service as public health to the community. We will also be participating in joint flu clinics with  Continue Reading

Effective September 10, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James has signed Order No. 2020-9, lifting the 50% capacity restrictions on transient lodging. Operating at 100% capacity is allowed immediately. This order also immediately lifts the closure of all public playgrounds and playground equipment. Dr. James explains, “Island residents and visitors have done an  Continue Reading

One of the first things on anybody’s list of how to live a good life pandemic or not is to get some physical exercise. For me this can be a challenge in the best of times. Being quarantined by myself has made finding the motivation to get moving nearly impossible, nearly, but not entirely. I  Continue Reading

Do you find Medicare a mystery? Are you unsure which Medicare plan is best for you? Join SHIBA online for a virtual Medicare 101 class where we will cover the “A, B, C, Ds” of Medicare. Our certified SHIBA volunteers will be available to answer all of your questions! Wednesday, September 16, 2020 @ 1PM PST To  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders… In many cultures, including our own, there is a common superstition that says “if you acknowledge good luck, your good luck will end”. We’ll call this the knock-on-wood principle. Well, please knock on wood, because in this long and detailed article we’ll  Continue Reading

From Evan Perrollaz for SJC Long-Term Care Coordination Network… The San Juan County LTC Care Coordination Network (Network) is pleased to announce a $750,000 three-year grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the purpose of implementing a suite of solutions for long-term care in San Juan County.  This grant is intended to  Continue Reading

A report from the county… There has been one new confirmed positive test result in San Juan County since the last case summary on August 13. This is the 32nd case in San Juan County and the 13 th on Orcas Island. The case occurred in a visitor to Orcas Island. Due to timing of symptom onset  Continue Reading

We need to wear masks in public, so let’s make them unique and playful!  In March enterprising volunteers started making masks to raise funds to support the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA).  The masks come in all colors and delightful fabrics including ones of familiar art by famous artists. Who better to make  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island Fire & Rescue… On Thursday afternoon, August 13, 2020, emergency responders from San Juan Island Fire and Rescue, San Juan Island EMS, and Airlift NW responded to a 911 emergency call reporting an unconscious person who was not breathing at the Roche Harbor Marina. Several bystanders at the scene immediately went  Continue Reading

Update from from the County… There has been one new confirmed positive test result in San Juan County since the last case summary on August 3rd. The case investigation was completed today (Thursday, August 13th). This is the 31st case in San Juan County and the 12th on Orcas Island. The case occurred in an Orcas Island  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders As we head into the second half of August, local public and private schools are pursuing a range of options for the start of the school year. This article will not be addressing the specifics of school reopening plans-that will come directly  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders This Hot Topic will provide a broad overview of confirmed positive cases to date in San Juan County. This information is very general in nature to ensure privacy, but hopefully is a useful way to convey the nature of cases in San  Continue Reading

We are pleased to announce that Jesse Nye, DO, has joined PeaceHealth Medical Group Friday Harbor in the Family Medicine clinic. He is an experienced physician who will provide comprehensive acute, chronic and preventive medical care services for his patients. Nye grew up in Washington state and graduated from Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg  Continue Reading

At last evening’s special board meeting, the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors approved a fall reopening plan for schools.  After several months of planning with the district workgroups and steering committee, Superintendent Fred Woods recommended to the Board that the San Juan Island public schools begin the 2020-2021 school year under a  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders To be clear: Face shields have absolutely no ability to minimize the spread of droplets from someone infected with COVID. There is simply too much air flow around the shield for them to be effective. They are not an acceptable alternative to cloth  Continue Reading

Governor Inslee announces education recommendations for 2020-2021 school year… San Juan County is among 5 counties in Washington State that are considered “Low Risk” for COVID-19. Plans regarding school reopening are made by the local health jurisdiction and school district. Gov. Jay Inslee, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and DOH’s state health officer, Dr.  Continue Reading