Charting the District's Vision: OIHCD's 2026 Strategic Planning Process

Following our levy commitment in 2025, Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) leadership spent a day earlier in 2026 working through a long-range strategic vision of the District’s role on Orcas. The visioning session looked out as far as 2050, along with priorities for the next three to five years.

District leadership worked with Colibri Facilitation LLC to develop this plan through a structured strategic planning process. This involved assessing the District's current strengths and challenges, then building out both a long-range vision and nearer-term priorities.

Current state

With the finalization of a long-term contract with Island Health, signing of two new providers in 2026, and Island Health’s commitment to ensuring competitive wages for staffing stability, the district felt confident in the current stability of Primary Care access on Orcas. Island Health has been a consistent partner, with plans for ongoing recruitment for Physicians and providers, collaboration around community health needs, and a willingness to adjust their approach based on Orcas’ needs.

With the stability of the Island Health relationship for Primary Care services, OIHCD was able to think more broadly about “Primary Care Services Expansion”, as referenced in the 2025 levy. Hospital Districts have a wide breadth of ability to support health care services in their community, and this was an opportunity to think about where we see OIHCD in the next few decades.

Long-Range Visioning (2030 - 2050)

The plan lays out several broad priorities for the coming decades:

• Care across every life stage: Family care, women's health, and OB care as core services, along with expanded mental health access and integrated substance use disorder prevention.
• Coordinated care: A single point of contact to help patients navigate complex care needs, rather than having to manage it alone.
• Financial stability: A District that manages its budget responsibly, pays competitive wages, and makes full use of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement.
• Updated facilities and technology: Physical space and tools that support both patients and staff.
• Consistent public communication: Keeping the community informed as plans develop.

Near-Term Priorities ( 3–5 years)

Alongside the long-range plan, District leadership identified more immediate priorities, including:

• Adding one area of specialty visiting services per year
• Enhancing clinic care oversight, with clear accountability led by data
• Joint review of long-term staffing and facilities plans
• Growing community care coordination, including the Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program
• Supporting community programs, including Dental and home care workforce

What this Means Going Forward

The district reports out on these strategies at their monthly board meetings, reviewing progress against one-year goals on a quarterly basis. Visuals, dashboards, newsletters and Superintendent reports will allow continued visibility and transparency into what the district is working on. These newsletters are a direct representation of the work the district is doing to try to share out more of our work and vision.

For more information on the strategic visioning done by the district, visit our website page on our strategic plan - https://www.orcashealth.org/strategic-plan

 

We're now on Facebook and Instagram — follow along for health care news, community moments, and updates between newsletters.

 

Save the Date: Clinic Expansion Town Hall Meeting – August 26th

The District is well into our multiple design phases for the clinic expansion of Island Primary Care – Orcas. Our architect partner DLR Group will be co-hosting town halls with the hospital district to allow the community to provide input, advice, and feedback on our clinic design process.

For more information on the Strategic Facilities Plan that has guided our clinic expansion scope, see the full report here – https://www.orcashealth.org/files/8c918f444/OIHCD+Strategic+Facility+Master+Plan+-+Final+Report+-+11.30.2025.pdf

Our next Clinic Expansion Town Hall Meeting will be held:

Wednesday August 26th, 5:30 – 7:00 PM – Meeting Link Here - https://www.orcashealth.org/2026-08-26-clinic-expansion-town-hall

This event will be held at the Orcas Center.

 

Save the Date: Island Primary Care - Orcas - New Provider Meet and Greet

September 22nd

5:30 - 6:30 PM @ Orcas Center

OIHCD and Island Health staff will be hosting a new provider meet & greet for island residents to informally meet Cameron Fralick, PA, and Paula Whitmire, MD. Cameron began working at the Island Primary Care - Orcas in the Spring, and Dr. Whitmire started the end of August.

 

Upcoming Board Meetings

Special Meeting to accommodate town hall date – Monday August 31st, 2026 – Meeting Link Here – https://www.orcashealth.org/2026-08-31-board-meeting-special

Wednesday September 23rd, 2026 – Meeting Link Here - https://www.orcashealth.org/2026-09-23-board-meeting

Held in-person at the Orcas Public Library and by zoom.