Staying Connected, Staying Home: How Telehealth and Home Care Advocacy Are Growing Health & Wellness on Lummi Island

Living on Lummi Island means choosing community, beauty, and an island-pace of living. It also means navigating real challenges when it comes to health care that include ferry schedules, long travel days, and systems that don’t always feel designed for island living. At Lummi Island Health & Wellness, our work begins by listening closely to islanders and building practical, neighbor-centered solutions that enable us to age in place, and help us all stay healthy right here at home, on the island we love.

This month, we’re highlighting two programs that are becoming key parts of that effort: Telehealth and Home Care Advocacy. While they serve different needs, both share the same purpose—making health care easier to access and easier to understand.

Telehealth: Brings Care Closer

Telehealth allows islanders to meet with medical providers through secure video visits instead of traveling off-island. For many, this can mean fewer ferry trips, less physical strain, and more timely care. But we also know that technology itself can sometimes feel like a barrier.

LIH&W’s Telehealth program is designed to bridge that gap. At the LIH&W Resource Center located in The Gathering Place, we provide a private, welcoming telehealth space where islanders can attend online appointments with confidence. Trained volunteers are available to help with setting up patient portals like MyChart, logging into appointments, and navigating basic connections with health care providers.

This support can not only reduce the need to take a ferry into town, but can make the difference between postponing care and actually receiving it. Telehealth is especially useful for follow-up visits, specialty consultations, some therapies, mental health services, and routine check-ins that don’t require a hands-on exam.

Home Care Advocacy: Navigating Together

Health challenges don’t stop when an appointment ends. Many islanders are living alone, or caring for aging partners, or quietly wondering what help will be available as daily tasks become harder. The health care system is not always helpful for a small rural location, and can feel complicated and overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to figure things out on your own.

Home Care Advocacy exists to meet people right there. This program focuses on helping islanders understand their options and connect with reliable information about in-home care services available on and off the island. LIH&W is working to gather and share up-to-date resources, including caregiver listings and regional supports that can help islanders age in place safely and comfortably.

Advocacy is about more than information. Trained health and wellness advocates are important resources to help us think through next steps, and clarify what matters most to us when we make healthcare decisions.

Lummi Island Health & Wellness hopes to bring island caregivers together to better understand their needs and explore how LIH&W can support them through connection, professional resources, and potential training opportunities. This benefits everyone.

Growing Together as a Community

Telehealth and Home Care Advocacy are growing through partnerships, volunteers, and steady planning shaped by island voices. These programs don’t replace in-person care; they fill gaps, reduce barriers, and expand options.

At the heart of LIH&W is a shared belief: living on an island should not mean having less support. By strengthening these programs, we are continuing Lummi Island’s long tradition of neighbors helping neighbors—so we can all stay connected, supported, and at home.

Want to Learn More or Get Involved?

Telehealth and Home Care Advocacy are just two of the many ways Lummi Island Health & Wellness supports our island community. To explore all of our programs, upcoming activities, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.lummihw.org.