Primary Care Associates PO Box 2097 Oak Harbor, WA 98277 ‘wnidbeyComamunity Physicians 1715 SE Cabot Dive sai BIO (Osh Hator, WA 9827? Cat Copbur, ARNP 15 SE Cabot Drive ‘Sete B207 (On Hr, WAIERT? Sou Whidbey Healbeare ‘S486 Harboe Ave PO Box 462 Fresand, WAI Langley Cine Ta Second St POBox 859 Lawley, WA 98260 360-675-6648 Fax: 360-679-2487 Email: whidphys@eomeastnet wav. whidbeyphysicins.com August 30, 2010 Anne Tarrant, President Whidbey General Hospital Board of Commissioners RE: LANGLEY CLINIC Dear Anne: I request that you put the issue of the Langley Clinic on the agenda for the September Board of Commissioners Meeting. There are several issues regarding the Langley Clinic. 1 Maintaining two clinics eight miles apart with a single provider in each i simply not economically viable. Barbara Simons, PA-C is more than willing to move to Freeland ‘The Freeland office could easily accommodate five providers. We do not have anywhere near that number in the imminent future. ‘The structural facility at Langley has multiple problems which cannot be corrected. The lease expires at the end of December. ‘The expense of maintaining staff would be reduced if we combine the clinics. It would also provide greater flexibility for patient coverage. It would more readily accomplish our goal of having available medical services on the south end five days per week. As new providers were added, we could conceivably contemplate a Saturday clinic. Providers in Oak Harbor have been working their days off to attempt to provide ongoing coverage at the Langley and Freeland clinics. Everyone is simply getting wom out. Primary Care Physicians Serving The Community‘August 30, 2010 Page: Two Re: Langley Clinic 8. The excess expense in operating the two clinics impacts the $1,000,000.00 cap that we are under. Providers are aware of this and that is also providing increased stress. 9. Pharmacy services have already left Langley and transferred to Freeland. Patient’s thus already have to leave Langley. It is the strong recommendation of all of the providers, north and south, that the Langley Clinic be closed and we work to maintain one viable clinic in Freeland. We do not have adequate coverage for the south end clinics in December and will, of necessity, not be able to keep Langley Clinic open. In view of that, I ‘would strongly urge the Board to make the logical decision of permanently closing the Langley Clinic. If you have questions about this, I will be happy to discuss them with you. Sincerely, pv Jfrald G. Sanders, MD CC: Tom Tomasino, CEO