Great news from PADS… PADs for Parkinson’s of San Juan Island would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the exciting opportunity to receive up to $25,000 in matching funds. This generous match fund has been presented by an anonymous benefactor and will apply to any donation received this giving season. Your support is needed  Continue Reading

The Rock Solid Youth Prevention Team needs your help in the Red Ribbon Contest for their school. They are competing to win $1000 for Friday Harbor High School, so they can continue to build on their prevention efforts and support a healthier school community for their peers. Rock Solid cleverly spelled out, “Escape the Vape,  Continue Reading

As has been widely reported, Kaiser Permanente is leaving San Juan County in 2020. Those who have medical insurance through Kaiser (whether an individual plan or Medicare Advantage) will need to enroll in a new insurance plan. We are fortunate that Primera LifeWise will be in our county in 2020. Those who need to purchase  Continue Reading

The Arcora Foundation – SmileMobile, a brightly painted 39 – foot dental clinic on wheels, is hard to miss when it rolls into Friday Harbor the week of November 12 – 15 at the Mullis Community Senior Center 589 Nash Street. The SmileMobile is staffed by a dentist, clinic manager, dental assistant and local volunteer  Continue Reading

San Juan Island Fire and Rescue Joins Multiple State Fire Agencies Deploying to Massive California Wildfires Four San Juan Island Fire and Rescue (SJIF&R) firefighters have been deployed as part of a western Washington regional strike team responding to the massive northern California Kincade Fire disaster in Sonoma County. SJIF&R Chief Norvin Collins said, “Our  Continue Reading

Today is World Polio Day. In 30 years, we’ve gone from 124 polio-endemic countries to TWO, Afghanistan and Pakistan (Nigeria was recently removed from list after being polio free for three years). We know we’re eradicating polio, but do you realize how may added benefits the program brings? It might be providing clean water, bed  Continue Reading

Story by Ayla Ridwan and Raylee Miniken who are participating in the FHHS Community Service Project… San Juan County would greatly benefit from a commercial composter. Commercial composters help to mitigate the effects of waste by eliminating the methane production of compostable items. Composting is the process of decomposing matter. According to O2Compost, a commercial  Continue Reading

The Lions Club of San Juan Island has just completed its free eye screening for children in the San Juan Island Elementary and Middle schools, and the Orcas Island Elementary School. In all, over 300 students had their vision checked and 17 of the children were referred for vision problems . Using a Plus Optic  Continue Reading

Charles Prosper, MSPT, MBA, named PeaceHealth Northwest Chief Executive PeaceHealth announced that Charles Prosper, MSPT, MBA, has been named chief executive of the PeaceHealth Northwest network. Prosper held the role of interim chief executive since long-time PeaceHealth leader, Dale Zender retired on Sept. 30, 2019. Prosper joined PeaceHealth in March 2019 as the chief operating  Continue Reading

Many San Juan Island residents know that Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor (SIFRI) provides free ferry tickets to patients and their caregivers who have to travel off-island for cancer treatment.   Recently this long-running program has gotten a dedicated phone number and e-mail address that will remain constant and will not change when a new coordinator takes over  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… The practice of mindfulness is an important tool to have in your mental toolbox especially when life gets stressful. I’ve learned different mindfulness techniques or meditation practices over the years mostly within the context of a yoga class or  Continue Reading

In the San Juan Update Mailbag this morning, the SJIPC thanks the SJICF… The San Juan Island Prevention Coalition (SJIPC) would like to publicly thank the San Juan Island Community Foundation (SJICF) for their continued support of our island youth. Members of our Rock Solid Youth Prevention Team were able to attend a national leadership  Continue Reading

Flu season is here and it is time to get your flu shot!  San Juan County Health & Community Services has scheduled the 2019 flu clinics for the public.   All flu clinics will be by appointment only.  Be advised that there are limited doses available at this time based on vaccine availability from our  Continue Reading

Deb Langhans writes to share some ideas on how to cope with the added stress of the holidays… The holiday season–with its sometimes breathless succession of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s–is steadily advancing. (Geez, just writing that brings tightness to my tummy!) Since my clients are already showing signs of increased anxiety, fatigue,  Continue Reading

Fish for Teeth is continuing its tooth-fixing mission with another Fish Taco Fundraiser on Friday, October 4, 11-1:30, at the San Juan  Community Theatre. An $8.00 suggested donation lands you a full-on burrito-sized “taco,” filled with sustainably-harvested Washington Coastal Rockfish, Pablito’s salsa, Tillamook cheese, zesty greens, and a squeeze of lime. Absolutely delicious. Fish for  Continue Reading

The four fire districts of San Juan County have received a regional Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to replace aging personal protective equipment for firefighters and increase compatibility between agencies, maximizing mutual aid throughout our islands while reducing costs to our tax payers. FEMA awarded $923,115 from the Assistance to Firefighters grant to the  Continue Reading

A Reminder: Skagit Valley College (SVC) is offering a unique self-help program that has become an important bridge between ancient wisdom, Western medicine, and modern life science. Yi Ren Qigong Foundation 1A provides the tools to activate and keep your energetic battery charged to empower your life and allow you to make life changes. The  Continue Reading

You might know someone who’s fallen and had a hard time recovering. Falls as we age can be devastating, but they don’t have to be a part of aging. Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balanceâ (TJQMBB) is an evidence-based balance and fall prevention program. It meets on Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:45-12:45 at Studio JAMM  Continue Reading

Story by Louise Dustrude… Dr. Burk Gossom has found “the right person for the position” in his words and will actually be retiring sometime after the first of the year. He and Will House, M.D., have “a gentleman’s agreement” for transfer of San Juan Healthcare and will be working out details of transfer of license,  Continue Reading

Don’t forget – this event is today… At 10:30am on Friday, September 20th, at the Friday Harbor courthouse lawn, students from San Juan Island, in conjunction with students from around the world, will be striking to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis. The strike is taking place three days before the  Continue Reading

PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center is offering a free community workshop that walks participants through the elements of advance care planning. The Your Voice, Your Choice workshop will take place on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor. “Advance care planning is about sharing  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… Eating fresh wholesome food is one of the cornerstones of maintaining good health. As anyone who shops for food knows, this can get expensive. Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor has generated greater access to good food by partnering with San  Continue Reading