Dr. Bourne's Statement

Thank you to everyone who has expressed support and outrage at the pending closing of my office. I apologize that I have not been able to respond to everybody in person. I am working on a comprehensive statement describing what I have experienced over the past eight years, including the enjoyment of getting to know a remarkable community and the difficulty of working within a health care system I do not accept. Thank you for the many phone calls and letters. The overwhelming message is that people are willing to pay up and above what the insurance companies already pay (or don’t pay, as is often the case) to keep my office alive. I want to say a few words about this as I have not had the time to talk to each of you individually.

We have four thousand people in West Marin who will need a doctor in 2008 after I leave. It is illegal to take above what insurance companies allow if a provider is a member of his patient’s insurance company. For this reason, I suggest that the office be enveloped by a non-profit, such as the Coastal Health Alliance, so that people can donate an additional fee, whether it is an optional retainer or extra money per office visit. There is a task force looking into this and a community meeting in the works. Information on both of these will be posted soon. In addition, a bank account has been opened for donations for the purpose of making the transition into 2008 as smooth as possible. The information about where your money can be donated will also be posted soon on this website.

There is one problem. Many offers for donations come with the condition that I stay. While this pulls at my heart-strings, it is unreasonable for one person to be the solution to heath care in our part of the county. I feel strongly that your money and faith ought to be invested in your health care system, not one individual. Part of my reason for taking a break from the West Marin Medical Center is to make an effort at changing the system. This is something that retainers and extra fees alone will not do. If you would like to do something for me, I ask for your help in this arena too. I ask that in addition to saving my office you also work towards helping more than my 4000 patients. This means writing letters to this website and following the politics of health care for 2008. My plan is to fight for a health care system that is along the lines of the quality of medicine you have seen me provide.

Please know that if I practice primary care medicine, I will return to West Marin where my heart is. For now, though, I cannot see myself doing this until I take some time to improve our “broken” system. I hope you understand and continue to work towards the future of the West Marin Medical Center open as well as support me in my mission. I am not running from the community. Rather, I hope to come back with something better.

Again, no matter what comes,

Thank you,

Molly Bourne