I am writing about the notice placed in the Jan. 13 edition of The Sounder by The Orcas Medical Foundation titled, “Dr. Fleming leaves medical center.”

I assume this is meant to be an explanation of why this has happened, but unfortunately for those of us who truly care about this information, that was not what was presented.

To tell us that “a mutually beneficial agreement could not be reached,” says nothing, and is, it appears, a pleasant sentence meant to let us know that the real facts are none of our concern.

What I want to know, as do others of her patients, is WHY were you unable to reach a “mutually beneficial agreement.”  I also want to state unequivocally that the personal health care of the people of this island, and what affects it, as this does, is, (and this should not even have to be stated), of profound concern to me and, I am assuming, others.

Dr. Fleming was a fine doctor and her patients felt safe and comfortable with her. The quality of her work was of a very high caliber. If you could not reach “a mutually beneficial agreement,” I want to know why.

I want to know why a fine physician, upon whose care so many of us relied, could not be supported by the OMF, whose concern it is, or so I imagine, to provide us with the best and highest quality medical care available.

This has been a shock to those of us who are her patients, and the remarks of the OMF in this notice are so dissatisfying as to be frankly insulting to our intelligence, as well as profoundly dismissive of our concerns.

This, OMF, is a shameful response to something of such importance and of so much concern to us.

Jane Alden

Orcas Island