To the editor:

In December, I was selected as hospital commissioner from South Whidbey. I held five town meetings to get insight as to the needs of the community vis-a-vis Whidbey General Hospital. I gave my report to the hospital commissioners in June.

Starting in May, there was a community committee selected to begin the search for a new CEO for the hospital. Four months of interviews, meetings, commissioners’ meetings and visits by potential candidates for the hospital.

One of the key concerns I heard during my town meetings was the sense of isolation felt by South Whidbeyites from activities at the hospital. Participants felt the hospital and healthcare services were inadequate, not available, and that they were at a loss as to where to get assistance. Complementary healthcare providers felt isolated, and were not having a relationship with hospital services.

So where is the South Whidbey Record?

Just because we live in the south part of the island does not mean we need to be isolated from the seat of political action in Coupeville. It does not mean we should be ignorant of Whidbey General Hospital activities and services. We pay taxes to the county, to support the county government and hospital. We really do deserve to have the news from our county even if we are geographically separated.

The arbitrary line of demarcation among the three newspapers does a true disservice by not keeping citizens informed.

So where is the South Whidbey Record?

Oh, I guess we should get our local governmental and hospital news from the Examiner, the Coupeville, Greenbank, Freeland paper?

Grethe Cammermeyer

Whidbey General Hospital Commissioner

Langley