It’s the only one of its kind on Orcas.

Orcas Family Health Center is the new home of a diagnostic ultrasound machine. The Phillips HDI 5000 covers a variety of applications, including OB/GYN, cardiac, abdominal, vascular and muscular skeletal ultrasonic analysis.

Dr. David Shinstrom says the clinic is hiring a certified ultrasound technician from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham to work in the clinic one day every other week.

“I estimate we have a need for 300 ultrasounds a year,” Shinstrom said.

Emergency ultrasounds will be administered by a technician who lives on Orcas.

The clinic took out a loan to pay for the machine. It has already received a $5,000 donation to help cover the costs, and it has applied to the Orcas Island Community Foundation for a grant. The total cost of the ultrasound is $20,000.

Shinstrom is working on having St. Joseph’s cardiologists and vascular specialists come to the health center quarterly. The clinic has also hired a nurse practitioner, who will work full-time starting in April.

The Orcas Family Health Center welcomes all people regardless of medical insurance status or ability to pay.