На острове Уидби покажут документальный фильм об истории создания местной больницы

Whidbey hospital history hits the screen Published 1:30 am Friday, August 14, 2026 Long before Whidbey Island had its own hospital, islanders got sick, suffered injuries and had babies in a place where reaching medical care could depend on an unreliable ferry. What followed was a decades-long effort to bring health care closer to home. That story comes to the screen Aug. 21 with the premiere of “The People’s Hospital: The History of Medical Care on Whidbey Island” at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. The documentary delves into the grit and generosity of past island residents who helped build and sustain a health care system in the isolated, rural community of Whidbey. “The ingenuity of Whidbey Islanders who cared for one another and advocated for local health care is truly inspiring,” Rainy Simpson, executive director of the WhidbeyHealth Foundation, said in a press release. “Their determination built the foundation we stand on today. As we look to the future, their story reminds us that investing in local healthcare has always been, and continues to be, an investment in our community.” Samuel Wolfe, the director of the film and a Freeland resident, said he was approached by the WhidbeyHealth Foundation to produce a short documentary designed to raise awareness of the largely unknown history behind the island’s hospital. “One of the most interesting things to me coming at it from an outsider’s perspective was just how much drama there actually was, both politically and geographically, as well as culturally,” he said. “There’s a lot of interesting things in terms of the intersection between the white settlers and the Indigenous people at the time that I had no idea about.” The film features voices of several people with connections to Whidbey’s past and present health care system. One person who was interviewed for the documentary was Lyall Bishop, a former pediatrician and the son of Dr. Paul Bishop, a historic Coupeville physician. Bishop said he was interviewed for the film because of his knowledge of medical care on Whidbey before WhidbeyHealth Medical Center opened. His father was involved in the hospital’s early planning. “A lot of the initial planning was a big deal for the community of the island,” he said. “In the days prior to the bridge on the North End, you were totally dependent on ferries, and they were unreliable.” Whidbey General Hospital ultimately opened in Coupeville on March 10, 1970, after years of fundraising and organizing by island residents. It was renamed WhidbeyHealth in 2016. The premiere will be followed by a panel discussion with film participants and current WhidbeyHealth leaders, with audience members invited to ask questions. Panelists will include Kali Maltese, executive director of practice management; Dr. Terrence Wong, a cardiologist; Marion Jouas, a current hospital commissioner; and others. The documentary is inspired by the book “A Common Need: Whidbey General Hospital and the History of Medical Care on Whidbey Island, 1850-2000” by historian and archivist Theresa Trebon. Copies will be available for purchase at the event. Through his research for the documentary, Wolfe said he developed a “newfound appreciation” for the hard work and sacrifice that went into creating Whidbey’s current health care structure. He stressed that anyone “who reaps the benefits of the services that the hospital provides” will find value in the film. The premiere and panel discussion for “The People’s Hospital” will start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21, at WICA in Langley. Tickets for the event can be purchased ahead of time on WICA’s website. More information about the documentary can be found on the WhidbeyHealth Foundation website.