From the Washington State Department of Health On Jan. 8, the Washington State Department of Health announced that based on Governor Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery plan released earlier this week, that all eight regions in Washington will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, Jan. 18. As outlined in the Governor’s  Continue Reading

Who Is Eligible Now, Who Is Next In Line and Where Can You Get Vaccinated? From San Juan County This week, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee released details on a new two-phase plan for the limited reopening of some businesses and a return of some activities. The details are found here.  All counties begin in  Continue Reading

From Gov. Inslee’s Office On Jan. 5, Gov. Jay Inslee announced “Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery,” a COVID-19 phased recovery plan. Beginning on Jan. 11, the state will follow a regional recovery approach with every region beginning in Phase 1. “No one was untouched by the effects of the pandemic in 2020; many have  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Happy New Year! As the old year comes to a close, whether you are in the habit of making resolutions or not, the Mullis Center offers several ways to gently improve your life. To bring joy and wellness into  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Dec. 25, the total cases in San Juan County have increased from 78 to 79. The new case is on Orcas Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case Count page. As indicated on that page, these numbers are  Continue Reading

From San Juan County San Juan County Health and Community Services staff provided the first COVID-19 vaccine to islanders on Wednesday, Dec. 30. As per state and federal guidelines, initial distribution is limited to health care professionals, emergency responders, and long-term care facility staff and residents. This group is known as “Phase 1A.” This first  Continue Reading

By Fish For Teeth We at Fish for Teeth are excited to announce our January dental clinic:  Jan. 13-16, at the Mullis Center on San Juan Island.  Yes, four days! Fish For Teeth has received additional funding to sponsor a mobile dental van for four-day clinics on San Juan Island, four times a year. Due  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Dec. 18, the total cases in San Juan County have increased from 75 to 78. All of the three new cases are on San Juan Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the county case count page. As indicated on that page, these  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Recent San Juan County COVID-19 case investigations have revealed a trend of lax COVID safety protocols on various construction and building sites across the islands. As in any workplace, consistent masking is a critical tool for preventing disease transmission. Work done alone or outside with greater than six feet of separation  Continue Reading

High-risk Health Workers, First Responders First In Line By San Juan County San Juan County Department of Health and Community Services has just received a shipment of 600 doses of the recently approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the Washington State Department of Health. Department staff is actively completing the recently released vaccine-specific training, and these  Continue Reading

By Island Rec Start your year off right! Join Island Rec for the 6th annual Resolution Run/Walk 5K. This year, the event is virtual. We are sprinting into the new year with enthusiasm and health and fitness as our goal. How does a virtual race work?  You still have to go all 5K (3.1 miles);  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 Thank you to all the advocates raising their voices. At the Skagit Valley Hospital District board meeting on Dec. 18, the hospital districts that jointly own Hospice of the Northwest announced that they would not sell to Bristol Hospice. San Juan County Public Hospital District No.  Continue Reading

By Rep. Rick Larsen’s Office On Dec. 21, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted to deliver much-needed relief to families and small businesses in Northwest Washington who continue to struggle from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “With a third wave of COVID-19 spreading across the country, this long-overdue pandemic relief package addresses the continued public  Continue Reading

By event organizers An online class to train family caregivers will be offered from 1:30-3 p.m., Wednesdays, Jan. 20-Feb. 24. The instructors for the class titled “Powerful Tools for Caregivers,” are Jami Mitchell, senior services specialist, and Gail Leschine-Seitz, aging and family case coordinator. The family caregiver training is supported by the San Juan County  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Dec. 11, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 71 to 75. All of the four new cases are on San Juan Island. Current positive case numbers are available online on the county case count page. As indicated on that page, these numbers  Continue Reading

By Skagit Regional Health and United General District 304 Board members of Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1 (Skagit Regional Health) and Public Hospital District No. 304 (United General District 304) each voted on Friday, Dec. 18 to discontinue further consideration of a potential purchase agreement for Hospice of the Northwest. The two public  Continue Reading