About Us
About the Hospital District
The Point Roberts Public Hospital District partners with SuperTrack Urgent Care, Bellingham, to operate the Clinic and provide outstanding medical care for the community of Point Roberts.
History
Prior to the Clinic’s opening, it was necessary for residents to travel across 2 international borders to either Blaine (25 miles away) or Bellingham (50 miles away), and back again to access US healthcare. The lack of a ferry or bus service meant non-emergency transportation was often a struggle and too often health issues would go untreated.
The Point Roberts Clinic was opened in 2003 to serve this remote population thanks to a grant provided by the Aydon family, and opened as the Aydon Wellness Clinic. Initially it was staffed by Virginia Lester, ARNP, and her husband Ed Lester, Clinical Bioanalyst.
The Point Roberts Public Hospital District (PRPHD) was established by the vote of the community in February of 2005 to manage the funds voted to support the clinic. The PRPHD contracts with Whatcom County Fire District #5 for the clinic space, and contracts with a healthcare organization to operate the clinic.
PRPHD initially contracted with Interfaith Healthcare, now Unity Care CHC, in Bellingham. Ultimately Unity Care gave notice that they could no longer provide services here. The PRPHD currently contracts with SuperTrack Urgent Care in Bellingham to operate the clinic, providing local access to medical care, basic lab services, referrals for additional services, and the handling of urgent medical needs.
Who We Are
Commissioners
Noel Newbolt - Elected April 2022
Noel Newbolt moved to Point Roberts in 2009 from Maui. A great move for summer and sort of questionable around February. Point Roberts is a very special place and weather turns out to be not such a problem. Noel comes from a background of Music and Film Production having spent many years in Los Angeles working for A&M Records and Warner Bros Records where she worked with their artists and producers. She moved to Vancouver in 1982 to work for Expo 86. Following six years of work on Expo, she continued with Film, TV and Commercial Productions in Vancouver before moving to Maui where production work continued. She moved to Point Roberts where TSB Shipping became her next adventure.
Stephen Falk - Appointed May 2018 / Elected 2019
Stephen Falk and his wife Liz Otwell moved to Point Roberts in 2013 from the Philadelphia area. Before moving here, Stephen was a reluctant intellectual property attorney and an avid genealogist. In Point Roberts, Stephen and Liz have been returning their property to productive uses, and Stephen has been a commissioner for Park and Recreation District No. 1. and recently became an At-Large member of the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee. He remains an avid genealogist and enjoys hiking around Mt. Baker.
Sara Oggel - Elected January 2022
Prior to moving to Point Roberts in 2019, Sara was in the healthcare industry in North Carolina for 20 years. She grew up in a medical family in a small Midwest farming community, In Point Roberts, Sara has been involved with PREP (Point Roberts Emergency Preparedness) shelter team, DART fly in food drops and as well as Covid 19 testing and vaccine clinics. Sara enjoys exploring all the parks and beaches with her two dogs.
Superintendent
Barbara Wayland - Hired May 2018
Prior to moving to Point Roberts, Barbara was an RN in California. She began her 40-year career specializing in pediatric and newborn care. She worked in home health, infection control, education, supervision, and management. She was privileged to work as part of the California Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C) Project developing standards for pediatric emergency care. Her job as a writer-producer for a medical media company ultimately allowed her to telecommute from Point Roberts. Barbara has served as a Point Roberts Hospital District Commissioner. She was hired as Superintendent in 2018. She lives here full time with her husband, Campbell McClusky, whom she met following her move here.
