At the Tuesday, Oct. 25, meeting of the Forks Community Hospital Board of Commissioners, Patricia Birch was selected to assume Gerry Lane’s commissioner position. Lane stepped down recently after he sold his home in the area.

Birch, a former employee at FCH, brings with her a wealth of experience in health care. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, as well as a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Birch served in Vietnam as a flight nurse for two years and spent three years as Director of Didactic Education at the Air Force’s Nurse Anesthesia Residency Program. She also held a number of other positions in the nursing field while in the Air Force.

Birch was employed at FCH for 15 years as a nurse anesthetist. In the letter Birch submitted to the hospital board, she described the community of Forks as “a very special community” adding, “It is the most caring and giving community I have ever lived in.”

Sighting the current changes in the health care field as well as how the system is financed as being several of her concerns with the future of the hospital, Birch also said, “I would very much like to be part of the opportunity to help FCH grow and become actively involved in these changes for the benefit of our health care.”

Birch also is active in the community and volunteers with Friends of Forks Animals and is currently the secretary for the Rainforest Council for the Arts.

FCH also is seeking a proposition on the Nov. 8 ballot to increase the hospital board from three to five.