I care about listening to the needs of the people that EvergreenHealth serves.

That is why I’ve been spending countless hours calling more than 1,000 voters in this last month alone to find out their concerns and health care needs and directing them to my website at reelectrebecca.com where they can not only learn a bit more about me, but also learn a little more about the job of a hospital commissioner via a short video.

As an experienced commissioner on the hospital board, I’m proud of the work I’ve been a part of – building Evergreen from a small community hospital to an award-winning regional medical center in the 21st century.

I have a solid record of always looking to the future, promoting improvements at EvergreenHealth as evidenced by the Booth Gardner’s Parkinson’s Center, MS Center, Cancer Center, Home Health Services, Senior Services, Family Maternity Center, Hospice and most recently Midwifery Care Center.

During the time I’ve served, the Family Maternity Center quickly became the model of care adopted by other hospitals and in the 1990s, Evergreen continued to provide home health services when other hospitals stopped.

These were groundbreaking endeavors and I hope that the voter will re-elect me so that I can continue to promote more of the same.

The president of the board Al DeYoung has stated that my opponent is the best man for the job.

And if the voter chooses who to elect based on gender, well, I certainly can’t pass for a man! I believe that our community deserves a balanced board made up of both men and women and based on my experience and track record, I believe that while I’m not the best man for the job, I am the best person for the job.

Rebecca Hirt, Kirkland