Frequently Asked Questions
QUALITY HEALTH CARE
Patients can call the Sea Mar Lopez Island Medical Clinic directly at the same number used in the past for the Clinic–360-468-2245– to schedule appointments and for other needs. When the Lopez Clinic lines are busy, your call will be automatically routed to another local Sea Mar Medical Clinic who will take your call and can see that you are calling the Lopez Clinic.
The Sea Mar Lopez Clinic is open Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5 pm. The Clinic operates in the same building as the UW Lopez Clinic did.
Sea Mar offers after-hours telephone triage and medical advice. Just call the regular clinic number to be connected to after-hours options: 360-468-2245.
Sea Mar accepts many major types of insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, Ambetter, United HealthCare, WellPoint, Molina, and CHPW. For a full list of insurance accepted by Sea Mar, visit https://lopezislandhd.org/sea-mar-2026-health-dental-insurance-list/
Sea Mar also accepts patients who do not have insurance and also offers a sliding fee scale.
Sea Mar provides sliding fee scale discounts for eligible patients, dependent on household size and annual income. To apply for sliding fee scale discounts, please bring proof of your annual household income to your visit. This means proof of the income of all wage-earners who live with you. This might include a copy of your and/or your family member’s most recent 1040 tax return form, copies of two recent pay check stubs, or a recent letter from an agency that gives you financial support, such as DSHS, SSI, or Unemployment.
Please note exact charges are based on specific services and cannot be quoted exactly before your visit. Patients will be asked to pay a fee at the time of visit, which varies depending on your sliding fee scale status determination and varies per medical, dental or behavioral health department. Additional charges or fees not paid at time of visit, if owed, will be billed to you with eligible discounts applied. Sea Mar provides all services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
Yes. The provider team has two doctors and a Physician’s Associate. Sea Mar has contracted with Dr. Sharon Gill to be a full-time physician at the Clinic beginning in September. In addition, they have assigned Sea Mar physician Dr. Patrick Gemperline to work 4 days a month (the first week of each month) through next May. Sam Rich, PA-C (Physician Associate) will continue full-time at the Clinic as part of the provider team.
Sea Mar honors patient preferences in referrals to specialists and hospitals.
Yes. EPIC/MyChart is the records system used by Sea Mar Community Health Centers. Sea Mar My Chart
You will be given an authorization code to sign up for MyChart at your first appointment with Sea Mar. You can also call the Sea Mar Customer Service Representatives for assistance at 1-855-289-4503.
Sea Mar has a contract with the Lopez Pharmacy. They have also been in touch with Lopez Physical Therapy, Lopez-based Bayview Dental, and Fire/EMS to better understand the healthcare needs on Lopez.
Patient experience surveys shared by Sea Mar from 2025 indicate high levels of patient satisfaction, especially interactions with medical providers.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Through careful financial management, the Lopez Island Hospital District has built up a reserve that is in addition to the tax levy funds collected each year and sufficient to cover anticipated start-up costs. The District’s reserve stands at $600,000 as of January 2026.
Sea Mar is a Federally Qualified Health Center, which would enable the Lopez Medical Clinic to receive additional federal resources.
A reduced subsidy from the Hospital District suggests that no additional tax levy would be anticipated and funds may be available to explore investments in other services such as after-hours care.
INFORMED BY LOPEZ VIEWS AND VALUES
Operating more than 90 community-based clinics, Sea Mar has a 48-year history of delivering quality primary health care to diverse communities in Washington State. Many Sea Mar clinics are located in small communities and rural areas, including eight Skagit clinics in Mount Vernon, Anacortes and Concrete. Sea Mar is a Federally Qualified Health Center, which will enable the Lopez Medical clinic to receive additional federal funding.
Founded by Latino community activists and health care advocates, Sea Mar was one of the first community health centers accredited by Joint Commission and has received the Gold Seal of Approval by demonstrating compliance with national standards for health care quality and safety. Reviews of their quality outcomes indicate high-quality health care at a reasonable cost.
Serving the health care needs of a small, remote community is in keeping with Sea Mar’s mission of delivering high-quality health care to underserved communities. Sea Mar is enthusiastic about the prospect of operating the Lopez Clinic, which would be aligned with their thriving Skagit County practice. Sea Mar has indicated that they are planning for the long-term and would like to attract more Lopezians to use the Lopez Clinic.
Sea Mar has many clinics operating in small communities and rural areas. A few examples in Northwest Washington include:
Skagit County:
Mount Vernon Women’s Clinic
Mount Vernon Medical Clinic
Mount Vernon Maternity Services
Mount Vernon Dental Clinic
Mount Vernon Health Care for the Homeless
Anacortes Behavioral Health Clinic
Concrete Medical Clinic
Island County:
Oak Harbor Dental Clinic
Oak Harbor Behavioral Health Clinic
Whatcom County:
Everson Medical Clinic
Ferndale WIC and Maternity Support Services Clinic
Clallam County:
Port Angeles Dental Clinic
Snohomish County:
Monroe Medical Clinic
Monroe Dental Clinic
Monroe Maternity Services
INDEPENDENT CLINIC
A joint committee of the Hospital District and the Catherine Washburn Medical Association vigorously explored the option of establishing an independent clinic on Lopez as a Plan B if they could not contract with a healthcare system as the clinic operator.
This exploration included consultations with outside consultants with legal and financial expertise and revealed significant legal and administrative hurdles to establishing an independent clinic under Washington state law.
Extensive research by community members and expert consultants has revealed several daunting requirements for an independent clinic, including developing a new business structure and identifying affordable sources for required centralized systems. Research into Washington State law revealed that the Hospital District cannot by law operate the clinic or hire medical personnel directly.
NEXT STEPS
Save the Date! There will be a Summer Celebration to introduce the Sea Mar Lopez Island Medical Clinic to the community on September 3, 2026. We are waiting a month after the Grand Opening date of June 29, 2026 to have the informational celebration to give the staff time to train in their Sea Mar positions.
We also had a Town Hall on February 23, 2026 to give Lopez residents the opportunity to learn more about Sea Mar and ask questions.
The community is always also welcome at our Regular Board Meetings where we conduct the business of the Hospital District and hear and give reports regarding our community partners. Scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month from 4:00-6:00 pm at the LIFRC Meeting Room and by Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3903428884