LWVSJ Observer Corps: Board of Health August 21, 2024

||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS |||

For the Accountable Communities of Health (ACH), Kristen Rezabek represented the county at a conference in Everett this month. Mark Tompkins will represent ACH at an equity conference in Atlanta. At the September Board of Health meeting the resource centers will report on their ACH-funded projects. The North Sound Behavioral Health organization is working on a plan for providing direct services in the future. The county received a $100k grant to support services to under-insured residents, and Lopez got a grant to run their Recovery Café. The Northwest Regional Council needs more staff to coordinate care and to do case management for in-home care for seniors. Their 2025 grant cycle is beginning now. The population of those 85 and older will increase fourfold in the next two decades.

The Public Health Department gave an update on communicable diseases. There have been measles cases in the state, but our county vaccination rates are very good. There are whooping cough cases in the state, but not the county. Keeping vaccinations up to date is important, because whooping cough can have serious and even life-threatening complications. The county has done back-to-school vaccination clinics on all three islands and will do one in late August of childhood vaccinations only.

The county has been hit with the recent increase in covid cases. Over-the-counter test kits have been in short supply and the only other place to get tested is at the Peace Health emergency room. The county health department provides Covid vaccines to those 18 and under and for uninsured adults. People with insurance must go off-island to get them. The new vaccine variant is due out in September. The main danger of avian flu is for birds, flocks and some animals; people are cautioned to take care around sick or dead birds. The Mpox outbreak is a concern only for overseas travelers.

On the Hannah Heights PFAS contamination, the Department of Ecology began its investigation, taking 12 core samples, and will start ongoing sampling in October. The community has secured grants and loans to pay for the cost of hauled water, and to drill a new well, but so far have not found any suitable land that they can secure permission to drill on. They are looking at the possible need to replace the distribution system though initial tests indicate the system may have been flushed. The community has gotten medical briefings on potential health issues, and after some struggles are beginning to find partners to help with blood testing and monitoring. The type of PFAS found are those used in firefighting foam.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.