Editor,
When the head is dead, the body will follow. WhidbeyHealth’s ill health is not simply a result of incompetent senior management over an extended period of time. It’s the prolonged and devastating lack of accountability by the Board of Commissioners headed by Ron Wallin as president.
Running for public office is traditionally an admirable demonstration of community volunteerism and support for things that society needs accomplished, like guiding and governing public services. In the case of Whidbey Island, we the voters just simply made a mistake in electing to the board a group of five individuals who likely have talent in their chosen field, but have clearly not learned how or are unwilling to “govern.” That term means more than listening to disappointing management reports and financial woes. It means you’ve accepted accountability for strategic planning, envisioning the future and compelling organizational credibility.
It means the buck stops at your collective feet. It means you cannot spend $2-3 million more of our money on healthcare consultants to come in now, and over four to five years do what you allowed a well-paid management team not to accomplish. It means you must aggressively position the health system for success by painstakingly developing guidance for required outcomes and demand management to build the means to achieve those specific results.
The board has taken no “pains” and therefore we have seen only losses without “gains.” It will take some time, but all you board members will be challenged at each upcoming election by competent citizens with the needed experience and ability to govern. You may not want to waste any time padding your war chests. Contributions will not save you from the embarrassment of your abject failure to lead. Hopefully, it will not be too late. Our community, including the U.S. Navy, needs WhidbeyHealth to save lives and care for all of us over the long haul. In the meantime, prepare to be dogged at every corner. Folks are onto you.
G. M. Richardson
Clinton
