Media Coverage

Ceremony at Island Hospital celebrates veterans

GoAnacortes11/17/2021

The rain that has soaked Fidalgo Island for days stopped for just long enough Thursday, Nov. 11, for Island Hospital to host a celebration in honor of its roughly 50 staff veterans.

A band from Anacortes High School played The Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful, hospital staff handed out cupcakes and flags to veterans in attendance, and hospital and community leaders stopped by to share a few words.

Anacortes Family Medicine to host pediatric COVID-19 clinic

Anacortes American11/17/2021

Anacortes Family Medicine will hold a pediatric COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine clinic for children between the ages of 5 and 11 on Saturday.

Appointments are required.

Visit www.islandhospital.org/coronavirus.

Children will be scheduled for their second dose when they check-in for the appointment Saturday.

Island Hospital budget includes funding for staff appreciation

Anacortes American11/17/2021

Island Hospital is expected to increase revenue and expenses next year, as well as increase its number of staff members.

The hospital expects to bring in about $111,877,000 and spend $111,999,000. That’s a loss of about $123,000, hospital CFO Julie Stewart said.

COVID cases remain high in Skagit County

GoAnacortes11/03/2021

COVID-19 case numbers remain high as Skagit County Public Health recorded 463 new cases from Oct. 24 to 30. It was the fourth time in seven weeks the number has been more than 400.

In Anacortes, there have been three inpatient COVID-19 patients at the 43-bed Island Hospital in the past week, down from five the previous week but still high, hospital spokesperson Laura Moroney said Monday.

Skagit County has had 300 or more new cases each week for 12 consecutive weeks. This past week included one new death and 27 new hospitalizations.

Anacortes community paramedic program finding success

GoAnacortes11/01/2021

ANACORTES — An Anacortes man has a new wheelchair ramp at his home thanks to a new Anacortes Fire Department program and department firefighters.

“It’s something pretty simple, but it sure meant a lot to him,” Anacortes firefighter and paramedic Steve Monrad said of the ramp.

Under a program launched in July, Monrad is the department’s first community paramedic. His job is to be proactive with the medical needs of community members.

Vaccine mandate results in staff changes for Anacortes hospital, school distsrict

GoAnacortes10/22/2021

Island Hospital has parted ways with 23 staff members over the governor’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, and the Anacortes School District reports losing one.

Workers in health care and school settings are now required to be vaccinated or receive an exemption, according to a proclamation from Gov. Jay Inslee.

That rule went into place at midnight Monday.

Skagit County health care providers feel effects of mandate

GoSkagit10/22/2021

Skagit County’s three hospitals expect to lay off a combined 35 workers for their failure to comply with a state COVID-19 vaccine mandate, while a shortage of vaccinated workers at one Skagit County fire district will likely keep it from providing emergency medical services.

Hospital CEO: COVID-19 still a risk to community

GoAnacortes10/06/2021

COVID-19 numbers aren’t climbing quickly right now, but they aren’t going down either, Island Hospital CEO Charles Hall said Monday.

As of Monday, there was one COVID-19 positive in-patient at the hospital, though patients come in daily to the walk-in clinic and the Emergency Department, he said.

Pressure mounts as COVID-19 spreads in Skagit County

GoAnacortes09/30/2021

COVID-19 continues to inflict pain and death in Skagit County.

As of Monday, Skagit recorded its third-highest number of cases in a month, its second-highest number of deaths in a month, and its highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic reached here in March 2020.

Eleven people have died here this month from the acute respiratory virus, according to data on the county and state health department websites; 927 have been infected and 83 have been hospitalized. Meanwhile, vaccination rates continue to inch up, and health officials say a majority of the people hit hardest by the virus are those who are unvaccinated.

“It’s tough,” Island Hospital spokesperson Laura Moroney said. “The latest wave hit us hard.”

Record number of COVID-19 patients puts strain on hospitals throughout the region

GoSkagit09/13/2021

A surge in COVID-19 patients is stretching thin hospital resources from beds to staff and putting local and regional health care systems in a precarious position.

“We are on the verge on what they call crisis standards of care, where the demand is greater than what our resources are able to handle,” Island Hospital CEO Charles Hall said in a community briefing Thursday. “This is true for almost every hospital in Washington state.”

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