From the Public Hospital District No. 1 Board of Commissioners

Having quality, accessible healthcare services is an essential foundation to the well-being of any community. Some may not realize the breadth of the strong healthcare system we are fortunate to have right here in our community or know much about how our public hospital district works.

Skagit Regional Health is a non-profit, community-owned public hospital district that has an outstanding track record of providing excellent care, 24/7, since 1958. As a longtime resident of Skagit County with a career in law enforcement, I am honored to serve Skagit Regional Health. I am one of seven publicly elected members of the Board of Commissioners who represent the people of Public Hospital District No. 1 and provide governance for the organization.

As commissioners, we take our job very seriously. We are constantly learning about the complexities of running a growing healthcare system that includes two hospitals and nearly 30 clinics. Skagit Regional Health is the largest employer in Skagit County, including 224 employed doctors and advanced practice providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners). We focus on quality and safety; best practices; leading-edge technologies and meeting the needs of the community.

Skagit Regional Health offers an impressive array of primary and specialty services right here in our communities. There are few reasons why a patient would need to travel to get the care they need. We offer cancer care, robotic surgery, acute hospital care, cardiac catheterization, urgent care, joint replacement, primary care, general surgery and many more specialties - right here.

In every way, this is a big operation with an annual budget of more than $536 million in net patient service revenue. The Board is here to help keep it on track, be good stewards of our funds and grow to meet the communities’ needs.

The past few years have been especially challenging in many ways, including financially. With a strong financial improvement plan in place and hard work by our entire team, the organization is well on its way to a return to positive financial performance.

As a public hospital district, it’s important for you to know that the organization needs a margin – or profit. Any margin earned is reinvested into the organization to support the work of our team and to reinvest in equipment, infrastructure and important advancements in technology to provide the most advanced care to our patients.

For the past 65 years and for many more in the future, Skagit Regional Health – a public, non-profit healthcare system – is the foundation of healthcare services that is essential to support the well-being of the communities we serve.

Staying connected to the community is very important to us as a Board of Commissioners. If you have questions or comments, please let us know via email at [email protected].

We look forward to hearing from you.

Gary Shand
Chair, Public Hospital District No. 1
Skagit Regional Health Board of Commissioners