Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance patients need a sustainable future for high quality health care delivery on Vashon/Maury Islands. Over my 13 years on Vashon, the evolution has been from Highline Hospital, to CHI Franciscan, and lately to NeighborCare. We need more strategic, consistent and permanent sources of funding and an infrastructure that works for us. We have to create ethical and strategic partnerships.

The creation of a PHD on Vashon will provide direction and solutions to health care delivery here. Sustainability, high quality and permanent funding are our goals. First steps will be organization, community engagement and planning for fundraising.

My experience in strategy and planning management is based on 41+ years in higher education and 9 years as a board member and, since 2015, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union (Bellevue, Vashon, Tacoma, Renton) that I helped bring to Vashon.

I am Don Wolczko, a veterinarian who had owned a thriving practice for 30 years, employing and directing 20 workers.  During that time, I had observed deterioration in human health care on the Island, where increasing need for supplemental support outstripped the heroic efforts of Granny's Attic funding.  Two healthcare groups tried and abandoned the Island with financial losses, and the third is struggling.

A Public Hospital District, directed by experienced, fiscally responsible commissioners, is needed to assure continuance of healthcare to all on the Island, relieving those in need of many hours and added expense of going off Island for even minor care (eg.: lacerations); we, as an island, can do this without injuring other entities(ie: Parks District), and with a cost of two lattes a week.  I ask for your trust and vote to help us succeed in keeping and enhancing health care for all on Island.