Get rrrrready. This is Shugga and Mia here at PADs for Parkinson’s giving you a nosey nudge to mark your calendar for August 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. These are the dates that you can easily double your efforts to help us and our 14 furry friends at PADs to keep sniffing for Parkinson’s  Continue Reading

Orcas Case Cluster Update San Juan County has been aggressively investigating a recent COVID outbreak on Orcas Island. Since the source case was identified, San Juan County has identified nine additional linked positive cases. Of the ten outbreak cases, five are confirmed to be unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, one’s vaccination status is unknown and  Continue Reading

At the beginning of June, our school staff was able to celebrate the graduation of seniors from both Friday Harbor School and Griffin Bay School outside on the football field. Seeing the faces of those students and sharing in their joy was priceless.  The 2020-2021 school year seemed to last forever as we all navigated  Continue Reading

San Juan County Health & Community Services staff will be unavailable on Friday August 6th, as we will be attending an All Staff Meeting. Staff will be available again on Monday August 9th. The Department drop box outside the Courthouse is available for document drop-off. Thank you for your understanding.

Unvaccinated Caregivers With Qualifying Medical Exemptions Subject to Heightened Masking, Distancing, and Regular Testing Protocols August 3, 2021– VANCOUVER, Wash. – PeaceHealth announced that starting August 31, 2021, all caregivers will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit a qualifying medical exemption. Unvaccinated individuals will be subject to regular COVID-19 testing, as well  Continue Reading

Since Friday’s Weekly Case Update, San Juan County has confirmed four new positive COVID-19 cases. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to 201. Three of these new cases are on Orcas Island. San Juan County is currently investigating this case cluster to determine the source and scope of disease transmission.  Continue Reading

The skilled nursing facility owned by Life Care Centers of America closed at the end of 2017. It had more than seventy beds and held the majority of the Medicaid patients in San Juan County. It left one assisted living facility on San Juan Island: the Village at the Harbor, a private pay institution with  Continue Reading

Vaccines Are Still The Best Protection Against Covid-19 We’re over a year and a half into this pandemic. We’ve learned a lot. We know how to keep people safe and now we have even better tools to do so. Being fully vaccinated remains the best protection. Healthcare providers and pharmacies on San Juan, Orcas, and  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Since the last update on July 22, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 195 to 197. There are approximately 25 close contacts of positive cases currently in active quarantine in San Juan County. Some of these are close contacts of locally confirmed cases, others are close contacts of  Continue Reading

  By Pegi Groundwater, San Juan County SHIBA Volunteer Coordinator   Inter Island Healthcare Foundation is the new Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors sponsor for San Juan County as of July 1. Inter Island replaces SHIBA sponsor Island Hospital.   SHIBA is a public service offered by the Washington State Office of Insurance Commissioner. Volunteers  Continue Reading

From the Washington State Department of Health Safely returning to the classroom for fulltime in-person instruction this school year is important for students, teachers and staff. July 28, the Washington State Department of Health released updated guidance for the 2021-22 school year. DOH’s guidance aims to minimize transmission and maximize in-person instruction and is informed  Continue Reading

By Pegi Groundwater, San Juan County SHIBA Volunteer Coordinator Are you joining Medicare this year? If so, there’s a lot to learn.   Medicare has its own vocabulary and rules. There are deadlines to meet and penalties (some lasting a lifetime) for not doing things at the right time.  SHIBA volunteers are here to make  Continue Reading

Businesses Encouraged, not Mandated to ask Customers to Mask Up From San Juan County As a part of a regional effort to curb the rising infection rates in Washington, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James recommends that islanders mask up when entering an indoor public space, including businesses, whether vaccinated or not. Local  Continue Reading

Travelers Must Register Online and May be Randomly Tested for COVID-19 From the Public Health Agency of Canada The Government of Canada is prioritizing the health and safety of everyone in Canada by taking a risk-based and measured approach to re-opening our borders. Thanks to the hard work of Canadians, rising vaccination rates and declining  Continue Reading

Delta Variant is 225% More Infectious, Says County From San Juan County In the past week, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 191 to 195. Each of the recent cases is a breakthrough case, meaning the infected person is fully vaccinated. There are eight close contacts of positive cases. Five are currently  Continue Reading

From San Juan County After more than a month of no new cases locally, San Juan County has three new breakthrough cases of COVID-19. This means that each person is fully vaccinated and it has been more than two weeks since the vaccine series was completed. There is one case each on Lopez, Orcas and  Continue Reading