After 18 years of providing medical care for the children of San Juan County, Dr. Jeanne Olmsted, pediatrician, has announced that she will no longer maintain a practice on Orcas Island after Dec. 31, 2008.

Olmsted said that she has been pondering this decision for some time and that it is the result of increasing challenges of commuting to Orcas while maintaining a full-time pediatric practice in Anacortes. Another contributing factor, she said, was increasing medical liability costs resulting from Island Hospital’s recent acquisition of Fidalgo Medical Associates.

The Orcas Medical Center will host a reception in Dr. Olmsted’s honor from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Her patients, their families, and all others who would like to wish her well, are invited to attend.