Dr. Roger Case is winding down his long career tending to the health of Island County residents.

Case announced he is resigning effective in June from his position as Island County health officer and as a Whidbey Island Hospital District commissioner.

“I think it’s time for me to go,” Case said. “I’m 78 years old and it’s time to do something else.”

He has been the Island County health officer for 22 years and was an elected hospital commissioner for nearly 18 years.

His resignation from the Whidbey General Hospital board takes place six months before the end of his third term. He said resigning early gives hospital officials a chance to find a replacement.

“He was a great mentor for me as I stepped in as president,” said hospital Commissioner Anne Tarrant.

She said Case brought a wealth of knowledge from his work as county health officer and medical background to the board of hospital commission.

Case, a retired naval officer and retired family physician, has more than 55 years of public service. A career highlight is his work to get rural health clinics up and running in Island County in the 1990s. One opened in Oak Harbor and was eventually acquired by Whidbey General Hospital. Today it is the North Whidbey Community Clinic on Goldie Road. There is also a South Whidbey Community Clinic in Clinton.

Case said the hospital will face several challenges in the coming years. Whidbey General Hospital will continue to enact the Affordable Health Care Act, known as Obamacare, in coming years, legislation he describes as “a big unknown.”

Case said the hospital will have to rally support to get voters to approve bonds to fund a new wing. He said he expects to join the campaign to convince the community of the need. The hospital, he said, also has to build a new clinic on South Whidbey Island, a promise not fulfilled from a previous election.

Once he retires, Case plans to travel to the South Pacific. He has his eyes on New Zealand and Guam.

“We will miss him,” Tarrant said.

Whidbey General Hospital officials are looking for someone to fill Case’s seat on the board. The person selected will serve until the November election is certified.

Interested people must live within District 4 boundaries in the Oak Harbor area.

Applications can be sent to Board Chair, Whidbey General Hospital, 101 N. Main St., Coupeville, WA 98239.

The commissioners may appoint a replacement when they meet at 5 p.m., Monday, May 13, at the Whidbey General Hospital conference room.

For more information, call 360-678-6756, or email myhospital@whidbeygen.org.