The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will soon open a new clinic at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Captain Mark Lund shared this exciting piece of news and other information during a recent presentation to the Island County Board of Health about Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor, which serves about 16,000 beneficiaries.

The commanding officer explained that the clinic focuses on primary care. The site no longer offers inpatient services, labor and delivery or operations. While the clinic previously provided maternity care and delivered babies, this service ended in 2019 as part of broader changes implemented by the Defense Health Agency across military treatment facilities nationwide.

A service agreement with WhidbeyHealth, however, allows for the treatment of patients in need of surgery, as well as those seeking services such as the emergency room, walk-in clinics and women’s health.

The clinic has seen many changes over the years, including a transfer in management and administration of military treatment facilities from the Army, Navy and Air Force to the Defense Health Agency. Oak Harbor’s naval health clinic now reports to the admiral in San Diego who is in charge of all clinics and hospitals throughout the Pacific Rim.

The Oak Harbor clinic, however, still relies heavily on Puget Sound Enhanced Multi-Service Market and Madigan Army Medical Center within the region to improve coordination and delivery of health services such as radiology for beneficiaries, Lund said. The clinic is also exploring virtual care by collaborating with Madigan Army Medical Center and Naval Medical Center San Diego.

The clinic has faced challenges hiring staff for its remote location, which is a drive that takes 30 to 60 minutes for many beneficiaries. Commissioner Janet St. Clair said she knew housing has been a challenge, and some deployed personnel are coming from as far away as Sedro-Woolley.

Lund said there will be continuing discussions about the issues rural clinics must address and what this looks like across the Military Health System. The VA is looking to open a small clinic in the Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor’s underutilized spaces, he said. A soft opening is planned for January as the new staff gets on board and ensures that they have all their equipment. The official opening is planned for April.

Currently, the closest VA clinics to Whidbey Island are in Mount Vernon and Everett.

“That is so exciting,” St. Clair said. “And I know you all have been working on that for a couple of years.”

Commissioner Melanie Bacon agreed that this was big news for Island County’s veterans, who make up a large portion of the population. According to a 2022 Island County Demographics Report, there are 10,919 veterans.

The Board of Health also briefly talked about problems with reimbursement. Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor has advocated for improvements in reimbursement for those receiving Tricare benefits to alleviate some of the financial constraints placed on WhidbeyHealth for serving them. St. Clair said an analysis of payment rates showed it was 23 cents on the dollar on average, with it being significantly worse for OB-GYN care.

“So it’s just a challenge when you look at women’s health care and the wait times for expectant mothers in emergency care,” she said.

Island County commissioners have passed a resolution asking the Department of Defense and the legislature to look at Tricare reimbursement reform.