SJI Public Hospital District October 22, 2025
Evan Perrolaz reported the community paramedicine program (CPP) is expanding and enrolled eleven new intakes this month. Village at Home (VAH) is also expanding and has hired three more part-time staff. They are not hiring full-time employees because providing benefits is too expensive. The two programs are coordinating, but the VHA is licensed only for home care and cannot do many CPP tasks.
Perollaz reported on repairs of the Village at the Harbor (VATH) freezer, and installation of accessible doors to the courtyard and EMS building roof repairs. The PHD will submit two grant proposals for solar projects totaling $2.7 million to the State Department of Commerce for roof panels: one on the EMS building and one on the VAH.
Chief Butler said the EMS has better targeted the paging systems to the needs of individual calls. EMS calls in August hit an all-time high, remained high in September and calls for the year will be the highest ever. Some private insurers are withdrawing from the county, creating stress in the community.
Two commissioners attended the County Health Care Consortium of PHDs, providers and county staff to share information and coordinate on addressing health challenges in the community. Federal program cuts including food benefits are expected to be hit hard this fall.
The PHD has drafted status quo budgets for 2026 but is awaiting the results of the levy lid lift on the ballot, before possibly revising the budget or finalizing the current draft. Some line items have been shifted among programs or revenue streams. The PHD wants to move forward to develop a new five-year strategic plan with concrete goals and timelines. The plan to create housing for healthcare workers has been dropped due to federal issues and a proposed expansion of The Village at the Harbor is on hold.
The Council approved a resolution to transition PHD staff to the Washington Public Employees Benefits Board. During public comment a citizen discussed the importance of including donors and the new Community Health Foundation in the strategic planning/Five-Year plan process. The commission noted that the process would be open to the public.
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