Latest from Lekanoff | Ferry service disruptions, Native mascots, COVID, women in STEM

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF |||

Ferry Service Disruption

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) recently launched a survey to determine economic and social impacts to San Juan County residents from recent Washington State Ferries service disruptions.

Key initial findings from the survey:

• 447 participants from San Juan County responded to the survey. Of those, 94% reported negative impacts from ferry disruptions.
• Half of San Juan County residents and businesses responding to the EDC’s survey reported losses of $600 or more from summer 2021 ferry disruptions; some lost many thousands of dollars.
• People reported that disruptions impacted access to critical medical appointments including chemotherapy, surgeries, and prenatal visits (71%).
• Disruptions prevented many people from getting to and from work (31%).
• San Juan County has been inequitably impacted by outages as it is the only county served by WSF without alternative road-based egress.

Your 40th District delegation, along with San Juan County government and Council members, are currently working with Gov. Inslee’s office to determine short-term mitigation initiatives to reduce impacts to residents from ferry outages. In addition, we are striving to find long-term solutions to the current ferry service crisis.

Updated information will be posted by the EDC as data are further analyzed. 

An Update from Washington State Ferries WSF is looking to increase service as they aggressively conduct outreach to fill vital vacancies throughout the entire organization. Any schedule changes will factor in much-needed vessel maintenance and preservation. In the meantime, they will be adding supplemental service on a route-by-route and day-by-day basis when crewing allows a temporary increase in the number of sailings. Follow WSF’s travel alert bulletins or on Twitter for the latest updates on service by route.

Moving Past Native American Mascots

The Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) recently featured an article I wrote in their policy publication, Policy & Legal News. In it, I discuss why it was so significant that Washington passed my legislation banning the inappropriate use of Native American mascots.

Healing and Honoring Native Communities

This year, Washington State joined a national movement by passing House Bill (HB) 1356, prohibiting the inappropriate use of Native American mascots in public schools without proper tribal consultation. As national sports teams like the Washington Football Team and Cleveland’s baseball team retired their dated and offensive Native American mascots, Washington State finally took action to get rid of harmful and offensive mascots that still permeated our school system. Often, the use of Native American names, symbols, or images is premised on the promotion of unity or school spirit. This discounts the lived experience of Native Americans. As a little Native girl watching my culture, names, and regalia used as a mockery, a cartoon, and a character did not fill me with school pride. It made me feel like a token, like my family and culture were nothing more than symbols. It has a dehumanizing effect… …The time of healing is now. As Washingtonians, we can begin to turn the tides and give respect to our Native communities and culture. Read the full article on my website.

Hospitals Likely to Remain Full through Fall

The latest COVID-19 modeling and surveillance situation report from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) shows case counts, hospital admissions and hospital occupancy have declined, yet these levels remain high. Hospitals across the state are operating at full capacity, and projections suggest high levels of occupancy are likely to continue through the fall months.

“We’re hopeful that the declines we’ve seen in the last few weeks will continue, but that will only be possible if vaccination rates continue to increase and we continue wearing masks. Our individual choices over the next several weeks will determine whether hospitals are able to return to a sustainable level of operations by the end of December.” – Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases

When hospitals operate at high capacities, people may experience longer waits for urgent or emergent care, canceled surgeries or procedures, or transfers to hospitals further away from home than usual. To reduce the burden of disease on hospitals and other community resources:

• Get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and seasonal flu.
• Wear face coverings in indoor or crowded spaces.
• Get tested if you have symptoms or have been exposed. For help finding a test, including language assistance, call the state COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-525-0127.
• Use WA Notify, a free, exposure notification tool that alerts users if they may have been exposed to COVID-19 without sharing personal information.

Vaccination verification required for large events

Earlier this week, Gov. Inslee issued a large event vaccine verification emergency order. A “large event” is defined as a ticketed or preregistered assembly of 10,000 or more individuals at an outdoor venue or 1,000 or more individuals at an indoor venue.

The proclamation limits large gatherings, by prohibiting anyone 12 and older from attending a large event unless they show proof of full vaccination status or a negative test within 72 hours.

This emergency order was announced by the governor last week, and is effective on November 15, 2021.

Get your COVID-19 Vaccine

For help finding an appointment, use the Washington State Department of Health Vaccine Locator or call 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.

Vaccine Booster Shots

Find out if you are eligible for a booster shot by clicking the image to the right, learn more about booster shots on the Department of Health’s website, and find a vaccination site offering booster shots through the Vaccine Locator.

Spotlight on Women in STEM

The NW Washington STEM Network is a catalyst for STEM education in Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. They are supported by the Northwest Educational Service District 189, which covers all K-12 school districts in those counties. The network has been a leader in creating initiatives for encouraging opportunities for women in STEM. The Spotlight on Women in STEM features a series of inspiring videos along with interactive classroom materials that are designed to showcase the tremendous opportunities for women in four of our highest demand, living wage industries in Northwest Washington – IT, Medical, Engineering and Construction.

Thank you all for taking to the time to read this week’s Fantastic Friday, and for taking an interest in our progress at the House of Representatives. While we are in the interim, I will be sending out an official Fantastic Friday twice a month, with two weeks on and two weeks off. 

Please feel free to reach out to me using the information below, with any questions, inquiries, or concerns you may have.

I am here for you!