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WEDNESDAY, September 30, 2015 n VOL. 108, NO. 39 n 75¢
Savor the San Juans Food, farms and community
Hospital responds to ACLU letter By Anna V. Smith Journal reporter
Contributed photo/ Jones Family Farms
For the month of October, more than two dozen farms and farm-related businesses on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Island will be open to the public, with demonstrations on everything from apple cider pressing to sheep shearing. Read more about it in our Savor the San Juans section inside this edition.
The San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 has responded to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union refuting their claim that the district is not in compliance with the Reproductive Privacy Act in its contract with PeaceHealth. The original ACLU letter sent July 8 stated that “the RPA establishes that ‘[e]very woman has the fundamental right to choose or refuse to have an abortion’ and that public hospital districts ‘shall not deny or interfere’ with this fundamental right.” The letter went on to say that it is “our understanding that while the District provides maternity care services through PIMC, it does not provide the substantially equivalent abortion care.” The ACLU requested that the district change its policies and practices to fulfill the obligations under the Reproductive Privacy Act. The responding letter from the district, dated Sept. 15 and presented at their Sept. 23 board meeting, said that the district is in
compliance with the act’s requirements because Peace Island Medical Center does not provide maternity care directly or maternity care services by contract. “The district therefore does not provide the services that trigger the Act’s requirement to provide ‘substantially equivalent benefits, services, or information to permit [women otherwise eligible for state benefits programs] to voluntarily terminate their pregnancies,’” the letter reads. ACLU is addressing the same issue with other hospitals in Washington, and is currently suing Skagit Regional Health for failing to comply, while similar letters have been sent to hospitals on Whidbey Island and Mason County. Director of Communications for ACLU Washington Doug Honig said that they are currently reviewing the letter, and continue to be concerned as to whether the hospital is complying with the state’s Reproductive Privacy Act. To read the letters in full see our website at www.sanjuanjournal.com.
Federal funding for homeless vets By Cali Bagby Journal editor
Federal funding for homeless veterans may be a step in the right direction for the state when it comes to supporting those who have served our country. In the islands, the funds may be more like a band-aid on a wound that continues to bleed. “It’s frustrating because it’s very limiting to people and there is no prevention funding,” said Erin O’Dell, director of the Orcas Family Resource Center, which is in charge of screening vets for the housing funding. The federal monies have been dispersed to Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, which has received $776,000 and the Opportunity Council, which has $704,000 through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. “This program provides rapid rehousing for those without housing, as well as resources to prevent homelessness among those veterans
who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless,” said Will Rice, NW Regional Chief of Operations for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington in a press release last Monday. Catholic Community Services provides help to veterans in Snohomish County. The Opportunity Council serves veterans in Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties and will begin serving San Juan County this year. Family resource centers on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez will help facilitate the use of the money. The funding comes on the heels of Rep. Rick Larsen’s last trip to the islands where he held roundtable discussions with veterans and pledged to help them with better access to programs dealing with issues like health care. “Unfortunately many veterans struggle with homelessness,” said Larsen, WA-02, in a press release. “That is why I am a strong supporter of programs like Supportive Services for Veteran Families that enable local organizations to help more of our veterans get permanent housing
and on the path to independence.” According to a report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Supportive Services for Veteran Families served 127,829 participants in 2014. It is estimated to serve 135,000 veterans and their family members by the end of 2015. The question remains: how will the funding affect island vets? Jennifer Armstrong, director of the San Juan Island Family Resource Center, said the federal grants may not be easy to distribute on the islands because the qualifications from the grants are very specific. Armstrong said vets literally need to be homeless, which is not always the case in this county. “What I see more frequently are veterans who are having trouble making ends meet, who are at risk of losing their housing or who are living in low-cost, substandard housing like trailers with black mold,” said Armstrong. “Neither See VETS, Page 4
Sales deadline
2015 Women in Business publishes the week of Oct. 21 in the Journal, Sounder & Weekly. Sales Deadline: Wed., Oct. 9, 2015. For more info, call the Journal 378-5696.