Vashon Island lacks a hospital and medical specialists, requiring residents to travel to the mainland for many health care needs. Four primary care practices closed between 2010 and 2018 due to economic pressures, leading community volunteers to gather petition signatures to place a Public Hospital District measure on the ballot in 2019. The campaign established three clear goals for the Vashon Health Care District:
• Enhance services currently provided on Vashon Island by either working with current providers or seeking new providers.
• Assess current needs, including primary care, extended hours, urgent care, and other needs not currently met.
• Sustain Vashon health services with local funds necessary to create and support long-term stability in health care operations and facilities.
In November 2019, voters approved the Vashon Health Care District (VHCD) by 71-29% and elected five Commissioners. The District immediately confronted the challenge of replacing the island’s primary care provider before tax revenue became available.
The District contracted with Sea Mar Community Health Centers, funding operations through a King County Treasury Department line of credit to minimize service disruption. The District set its first levy in November 2020 for tax year 2021.
Between 2021 and 2023, VHCD subsidized Sea Mar primary care operations, retired first-year debt, and acquired property in the town core for a future clinic. In late 2022, Sea Mar announced plans for independent operation and new clinic construction. The District negotiated a collaborative transition while maintaining a safety net for future health care needs.
As of Spring 2023, the District began a planning effort to identify and prioritize other unmet healthcare needs on Vashon that it might employ its resources to address. Those efforts resulted in the identification of three areas of priority for future action: 1) providing prompt, on Island care for acute, but not life-threatening, injuries, and illnesses (urgent care); 2) improving behavioral health services and outcomes for Island, children and youth; 3) addressing the needs of vulnerable adults: elderly residents, adults with disabilities, those facing chronic illness, and individuals with limited access to healthcare services.
In 2024, the District funded new behavioral health positions, partnered with organizations on youth-focused projects, and contracted DispatchHealth for mobile urgent care services. VHCD established a Vulnerable Adults Work Group to address senior and disability needs, designating this as a fourth core priority in 2025. The District expanded partnerships, executed Compassionate Care agreements for uninsured patients, and integrated emergency planning in response to federal health funding reductions.
Federal funding cuts created immediate challenges requiring local solutions. In February 2025, the District launched emergency planning focused on infrastructure strengthening, preparedness, and proactive community health protection strategies.
The emergency planning produced concrete results. The Vashon Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program added a physician assistant, filling gaps between primary and urgent care and further reducing off-island visits for both insured and uninsured populations.
School-based behavioral health resources and adult mental health services expanded through partnerships with
Dove and
Youth & Family Services (VYFS),
Women Hold the Key, and
Journeymen.
A dedicated social worker now serves both the school system and the Vashon Senior Center, bridging generational service gaps. These local investments directly address vulnerabilities exposed by national health care policy changes.The Vashon Health Care District will continue adapting and expanding services to maintain accessible, high-quality health care for all community members.
