Bernie Donanberg has been connected to Jefferson County for 42 years, going from the boatbuilding trade to earning a master’s degree in psychology and serving as a child therapist, and then on to becoming a director of clinical services for what is now called Discovery Behavioral Healthcare.

At 71, Donanberg says he still is interested in health care services and so tossed his name into the ring for a seat on the Jefferson County Hospital District 2 board, along with former Port Townsend Paper Corp. general manager Bruce McComas, 67, of Port Townsend; and Cheri Van Hoover, 63, of Port Hadlock, who was a clinician at the Sequim Planned Parenthood before it closed last year.

One of Donanberg’s top issues is that of promoting a single-payer insurance system.

“One issue that I’m absolutely staunch about in terms of looking toward the future, and this may not be immediate, is a single-payer system,” he said. “I’m not sure if it will be at the state or national level. It’s not something that’s immediate or easy, but I would like to see the hospital do everything it can to support and advocate for that in this state,” Donanberg said.

Donanberg previously worked with current hospital Commissioner Matt Ready during a workshop aimed at improving care for those with medical and mental health issues.

“Almost all of our patients [in mental health] are patients of the hospital and have more chronic health care issues than you can identify, so there is a natural fit there,” Donanberg said of the mental health program needing to work with the medical services programs at Jefferson Healthcare.

Jefferson Healthcare’s board has approved plans to buy Discovery Behavioral Healthcare, which could happen by the end of the year.

Donanberg says his background as a clinician and as a manager of clinical staff would be valuable to the board in moving forward to merge the two programs under one umbrella.

Although he has worked with Commissioner Ready, he says he does not know him or any other current member of the commission well. He does, however, know opponent Van Hoover.

“I took a dance class from Cheri, and I didn’t know she was going to run,” he said of an East Coast swing class he took from Van Hoover. He said he had a great time.

BACKGROUND

Donanberg moved to Jefferson County 42 years ago after graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in political science. He became interested in boats and started a boatbuilding company, Middlepoint Marine, and later became a partner with Fleet Marine.

All three of his children were born at Jefferson Healthcare, and he continued to work in the boat industry until deciding to take time off to earn a master’s degree in psychology from Antioch University.

“I was interested in sciences, but also interested in human relations, and I discovered that with my first child when I volunteered in her first-grade class. I really loved being with the kids,” he said.

So Donanberg went back to school to get his master’s degree, which he received at age 49. In the process, he also volunteered at Bergita House, a forerunner of Jumping Mouse Children’s Center.

From there, he did an internship in Bellingham and then was employed as a child therapist working at Skagit Mental Health in Mount Vernon. Within two years, he said, he was clinical director, and after four years, he became regional director for three counties.

He returned to Jefferson County in 2001 and became the clinical director for what was then called Jefferson Mental Health Services (JMHS).

In addition, he worked as a quality improvement director at Kitsap Health in Bremerton between 2003 and 2008.

He then returned to Jefferson County, where he was clinical director of JMHS between 2008 and 2011. He retired from that position, but continued serving as a JMHS contractor for several years.

Donanberg said he is not aware of any specific problems with the clinical staff at Jefferson Healthcare, but he acknowledged that he has not had a positive experience with the billing department.