In the wake of a recent death, the Lummi Nation is alleging tribal members are receiving inadequate emergency care by Whatcom County EMS, who respond to 911 calls, but decline to transport patients to the hospital.
The death of a 36-year-old Lummi woman on April 18 was the “most recent of these incidents,” Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire revealed in a letter to city and county leaders, obtained by Cascadia Daily News. He claimed the woman’s death was not an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern “in recent years.”
The allegations stem from ongoing concerns about EMS declining to transport patients when “transport appears to have been appropriate,” according to the letter.
Hillaire expressed his concerns in the Tuesday, April 30 letter sent to Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu and Whatcom County Fire District 7 and 8 Chiefs Bill Hewett and Larry Hoffman.
In the letter, Hillaire outlined the circumstances of the April incident, when the woman called 911 reporting shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. First responders arrived and noted that the patient was struggling to breathe, screaming and inconsolable, the letter described. She was later able to gain control of her breathing and EMS deemed the incident a panic attack. Within hours of leaving the patient’s home, the patient’s spouse called 911 saying she was unresponsive. When Whatcom EMS arrived, the patient was dead, according to the letter.
The Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed a 36-year-old woman died at an address on the Lummi Reservation on April 18. The cause of death is pending.
Hillaire was unavailable for immediate comment.
Fire District 8 Chief Hewett said in an emailed statement that the department is conducting a review into the incidents identified in Hillaire’s letter and has met with representatives from the Lummi Tribal Health Clinic.
“Our team members … are in the process of reviewing the information so we can better understand if there were failures in our procedures and protocols and how we can improve services in the future,” he wrote.
CDN has requested the 911 calls to verify the details of the incident.
An EMS crew was dispatched to the location for the first 911 call and requested additional help. Whatcom County Fire District 7 responded but stopped after the crew at the scene canceled the request, Hoffman said.
“This is not an uncommon occurrence anywhere in Whatcom County that advanced life support services are canceled by crews on scene prior to arrival,” Hoffman said in an emailed statement to CDN.
Lummi Nation has provided $420,000 in funding to Fire District 8 since 2023 for fire and emergency services. A review of Fire District 8’s budgets between 2018 and 2024 shows the district has steadily collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in contract fees from Lummi Nation for those services.
“As you are aware, the Lummi Nation provides a substantial voluntary contribution each year to support the Fire Districts’ provision of Fire and EMS services to the Lummi Reservation, despite the fact that the Fire Districts are legally required to provide these services to all properties within their jurisdiction, regardless of whether those properties are subject to property tax,” the letter states.
Whatcom County Fire District 8, in addition to providing fire and EMS to Marietta and Gooseberry Point, also provides services to the Lummi Reservation. In total, District 8 covers 42 square miles and serves 9,200 people.
Additionally, the Lummi Indian Business Council provides a leased ambulance to Fire District 8 and donates funds for capital improvement projects through the community contribution program, Hewett said.
Fire District 7 covers a small portion of Lummi Nation including the Silver Reef Casino and the Salish Village property. The district will enter into a contract agreement with Lummi Indian Business Council this year to provide $110,000 for services.
On Thursday, May 2, Sidhu responded to Hillaire and the LIBC in a letter obtained by CDN, writing he was concerned about the report of a larger trend and that the county executive role does not directly supervise fire departments or how their EMS services work. But, he acknowledged his role on the EMS Oversight Board.
“I will work to ensure we provide resources, time and expertise to commence this work,” according to Sidhu’s letter. “… The EMS Oversight Board as a body should assess and correct any systemic issues with the goal of ensuring that EMS services are being provided equitably to all members of our community.”
Lummi Nation is also requesting that the report on the April 18 investigation be sent to the tribe’s executive medical director.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
