MEET OUR STAFF: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Chairperson Lenore Bayuk, MN ARNP, received her Bachelors degree in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island in 1969 and her Masters in Nursing from the University of Washington in 1974. She is an Advanced Clinical Nurse in Psychosocial Nursing and has had a private practice in counseling and psychotherapy since 1982. Prior to private practice, Lenore helped develop and was a member of an interdisciplinary consult team at the Veterans Administration Hospital Medical Center in Seattle. She later was involved in the establishment of the Pain Management Clinic at Swedish Hospital Medical Center, being a co-head nurse of the inpatient pain management patient care unit and a nursing consultant throughout the medical center.
Prior to graduate school, she managed an inpatient psychiatric patient care unit in Rhode Island and had 2 years of teaching undergraduate psychiatric nursing at the University of Rhode Island.
Lenore has lived on San Juan Island since 1989. She is married and has 3 grown children. She is a founding member of Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor and has been active in many community events.
Lenore is committed to providing this community with a high standard of healthcare at all levels. She was elected Commissioner and joined the Board in 2004. She is currently the Chairperson for the Board. She welcomes conversation from the community.
In this time of expansion and development of an integrated medical center, we as a community have many needs to attend to in terms of our healthcare. It is my hope that we can all work together to create an island appropriate healthcare center that serves our island community in the best possible way.
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Commissioner J. Michael Edwards, DDS, MD, FACS, is a unique asset to the EMS District. He has earned doctorates in both dentistry and medicine with honors and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He recently retired after a long career as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.
He has served us and other island EMS agencies as an educational source in the emergent treatment of dental and maxillofacial injuries as well as being a student of our Wilderness EMT course. Michael also is on the Board of the Inter Island Healthcare Foundation.
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Commissioner Keri Talbott, B.A. has lived on the
island over twenty four years, but did attend college at
the University of Puget Sound before transferring to
Eastern Washington University. Keri received a B.A. in
Government and Business and played golf on a
scholarship for the women's golf team. Currently she's a
mother of four children and a licensed foster parent. She
manages a charitable organization called Children's
Account Needs, also known as "C.A.N." and participates on the board of Island Rec's Children's Festival.
Keri has worked for the Town of Friday Harbor in the finance office for over six years and loves her job. She has tons of interaction with the public and works with a great crew. She volunteers with the Town Fire Department along with her husband; and when they aren't volunteering or working - they love to golf and read. Keri says, "It is very exciting to be working with our EMS crew and Hospital staff. It's a wonderful opportunity and I look forward to the challenge of learning."
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George Foster, MD is a retired physician who permanently located to SJI in 2007 after 30 years of clinical surgical practice in Eugene, OR. He is a native of the Northwest, raised in Seattle, and attended the University of Washington Medical School. He received his general surgery training at the UW affiliated hospitals and completed a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital. George is a senior member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Pediatric Surgical Society, and the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons.
His first journey to SJI was in 1959 and he has been boating the local waters for 40 years. George and his wife, Barbara, pass their time with boating, golf, travel, and helping with seven grandchildren as the need arises. He has been a member of the San Juan Community Hospital Committee and is an IIMC Foundation Board member.
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Visit the San Juan County Public Hospital District's new website at: http://www.sjcphd.org.