Every gift to the WhidbeyHealth Foundation makes a difference. Whether supporting essential equipment, professional education, or emerging needs, your generosity strengthens healthcare for our entire island community.



Here are three examples of your support in action.

Investing in the Future of Surgical Care at WhidbeyHealth

WhidbeyHealth Foundation is proud to support the continued growth of WhidbeyHealth Surgical Services with a $72,262.45 grant from the Foundation’s Greatest Need Fund toward the purchase of five new anesthesia machines.

WhidbeyHealth Surgical Services continues to experience sustained growth, a trend expected to continue with the recent addition of Podiatry, Cardiology, and Pain Management services. With this growth comes the need for reliable equipment to support patients and the care teams who serve them.

Three of the hospital’s existing anesthesia machines were approaching their end-of-service date in December 2026. But with Surgical Services expanding, WhidbeyHealth needed more than replacements. Two additional machines were needed to support the opening of a fourth operating room and a new Endoscopy suite.

Anesthesia machines are among the most critical pieces of equipment in an operating room. They provide life-sustaining ventilation, continuous physiologic monitoring, and precise anesthetic delivery while patients are at their most vulnerable. Reliable performance is essential to patient safety.

The Foundation was also able to maximize the impact of donor dollars through a special vendor promotion: purchase four anesthesia machines and receive the fifth at no additional cost. This allowed WhidbeyHealth to acquire all five machines needed to support both replacement and expansion.

This grant is a powerful example of the flexibility provided by the Greatest Need Fund. Because these gifts are unrestricted, the Foundation can respond when important needs and opportunities arise.

Thank you to the generous donors who make investments like this possible. Your support helps ensure WhidbeyHealth has the equipment and resources needed to provide safe, high-quality care close to home.

Bringing Knowledge Home

Sometimes the impact of a gift begins with one person—but it doesn’t end there.

Kim Merrill, RN, BSN, CCRP, recently used a WhidbeyHealth Foundation scholarship to attend the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) in San Antonio, Texas.

The conference gave Kim the opportunity to learn the latest approaches in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, connect with professionals from similar programs, and bring new ideas and best practices back to Whidbey Island.

That is the ripple effect of your generosity: a scholarship supports one dedicated healthcare professional, whose expanded knowledge can benefit countless patients and families right here at home.

As Kim shared:



“Your generosity plays an indispensable role in allowing us to bring industry-leading best practices right back home to Whidbey Island.”

Your support helps bring knowledge, innovation, and better care home to our community.

A Timely Way to Give

A Note from Rainy

As we approach the end of the year, I want to share a giving opportunity that may be meaningful for some of our supporters: a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).

If you are 70½ or older, a QCD allows you to make a charitable gift directly from your IRA to WhidbeyHealth Foundation. If you are required to take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), a charitable gift may count toward satisfying that requirement and may provide tax benefits.

If you are considering a QCD for 2026, now is a good time to contact your IRA administrator. Ask them to make a charitable distribution directly to:

WhidbeyHealth Foundation

PO Box 641

Coupeville, WA 98239

Tax ID: 91-1147024

Please ask your IRA administrator to include your full name and mailing address with the gift. This helps us make sure we know who to thank for your generosity.

I hope you’ll consider whether a QCD might be a good fit for you. 

Take Care,

“I’d be happy to speak with you in confidence regarding your giving goals.”

Your generosity makes a difference.

From a new anesthesia machine in the operating room to new knowledge brought home by a healthcare professional, your support helps WhidbeyHealth continue to grow, adapt, and provide exceptional care close to home.

Thank you for being part of the future of healthcare on Whidbey Island.