KING COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2 COMMISSIONER, POSITION 4: Lindquist vs. Pilcher

October 30, 2009 1:14 pm
Rex Lindquist
Rex Lindquist

REX LINDQUIST

• Age: 57

• Marital status: Married

• Children: Three

• Education: BA in General Studies, Eastern Washington; Arson Investigation, Bellevue College; General Studies, Bellevue Community; North Seattle Fire Science. Public Safety, Emmittsberg, Md.

• Occupation: Fire Chief

• Campaign Web site: None

• Campaign e-mail: None

• Top 3 endorsements: I did not seek any. I have several doctors, Firefighter groups, and our Community Advisors who have offered help.

• What are the three biggest challenges facing the King County Public Hospital District No. 2 in 2010?

Maintaining the services we have now, keeping them accessible and affordable and maintaining our great staff.

I have also been pushing hard to make our hospital more green. It’s been tough because I think outside the box. I believe we should be pursuing fuel cell technology and never have to rely on the public power grid. It’s being done in other areas now and I think it should be pursued. I have spent my own money checking out these systems for Evergeen Hospital and how they work. You can even sell back excess power to the public grid which would make payback quicker on the investment. This lack of support for future technoligies has proven problematic. It is time for new thinking, not more of the status quo. I am the youngest member of the Board of Commissioners. It takes a lot of convincing that new technology is our future, not just a cost item.

I have been involved in Evergreen Hospital since 1984 as a community advisor and became a hospital commissioner in 1996. I was in the fire service for 33 years until I retired in 2007. I have grown up in the community and have no special agendas except to make Evergreen Hospital accessible to our seniors and our children.

CHUCK PILCHER

• Name: Chuck Pilcher

• Age: 66

• Marital status: Married

• Children: Three grown children

• Education: Duke University, BS in Math; University of Washington School of Medicine (MD)

• Occupation: Emergency Physician, retired

• Campaign Web site: www.PilcherForEvergreen.com

• Campaign e-mail: chuck@PilcherForEvergreen.com

• Top 3 endorsements: Four of five current Evergreen Hospital (King County Public Hospital District No. 2) Commissioners: Al DeYoung, Rebecca Hirt, Jeanette Greenfield and Auggie Kempf; Redmond Firefighters (IAFF Local 2829); Chuck Morgan, Co-founder of Evergreen Hospital

• What are the three biggest challenges facing the King County Public Hospital District No. 2 in 2010?

1. Healthcare Reform: Four out of the five current Evergreen Hospital commissioners have endorsed me over my opponent because they believe my experience and knowledge will better help them as commissioners provide quality solutions to the unknowns of health care reform and the impact it will have on Evergreen and our patients. They believe that for the future challenges Evergreen faces, I have the better background and knowledge to help them make the best decisions possible for Evergreen Hospital and our community. In the future, our country will be adapting to a new approach to the delivery of health care. We do not have a clear picture of what that will look like, but it will without a doubt present many challenges.

These challenges will require the wisdom and insight into the care of the ill and injured that I will bring to the board.

2. Maintaining award-winning quality of care with potentially fewer resources: Today, Evergreen is nationally recognized as a provider of award-winning care. I will do everything possible as your commissioner to maintain and improve that quality of care for our community. However, the future holds many challenges for the Hospital and the board. With our current economic recession and the unknowns of health care reform, maintaining Evergreen’s high standards will require the board to be even more knowledgeable about patient care and healthcare delivery. We need to provide the highest quality of care in the most cost effective manner possible. My 35-plus years as an emergency room physician and my track record as a hospital leader who works collaboratively with all affected groups will bring needed insight and experience to the board.

3. New demands on health care providers at the local level as public health officials address international pandemics and terrorist attacks: In the future, local hospitals will be in the forefront of caring for victims of pandemics, whether swine flu or another unknown illness.

We need to insure our community receives the best care possible in the case of an emergency or a catastrophic event. The resources will have to come from somewhere, either through government support or local funding. Either way, a physician is needed to help guide the board as it faces these issues. I have chaired Evergreen’s Disaster Preparedness Committee in the past and remain a colleague of those currently managing our plan. I have the respect and attention of EMS leaders from Kenmore to Sammamish. As we develop plans for pandemics, or even the inevitable earthquake, a coordinated approach is critical.