Nursing shortages, murder hornets, an electric ferry highlight Inslee trip to Whatcom

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE |||

Inslee discusses nursing labor shortage, workforce development efforts with nurses in Bellingham

Gov. Jay Inslee visited Bellingham Technical College to understand how the college has used state funding to attract new talent to the nursing profession.

The importance of nurses has never been more obvious given their heroic work on the front lines of the pandemic. The field has long faced a labor shortage, but the nation’s aging population will require enhanced health services and more nurses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nursing (RN) is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2029.

Gov. Jay Inslee visited Bellingham Technical College on Thursday to learn about their nursing program, supported by funding from the state’s supplemental budget. State funding helped the college market its program and purchase simulation laboratory equipment, including the “patient” pictured above.

The supplemental budget also included $3.8 million for the state Board for Community and Technical Colleges to expand enrollment for nursing programs statewide to attract more talent. Inslee also signed a bill this year to establish a nurse educator loan repayment plan as part of the Washington Health Corps. The corps was established in 2019 to provide loan repayments to students studying for certain health care professions.

Read more from the Associated Press about the state’s efforts to help colleges and universities expand training and education programs for nurses.

Small businesses benefit from revitalization grants, infrastructure projects

Gov. Jay Inslee and Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited The London Plane in Seattle to discuss grants and contracting opportunities for small businesses. The restaurant persisted through the pandemic with help from state and federal COVID-19 relief programs.

Gov. Jay Inslee welcomed Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, to Seattle to discuss relief programs and contracting opportunities for small businesses. SBA programs like the Paycheck Protection Program and Restaurant Revitalization Fund and state programs like Working Washington Grants helped keep the lights on at many small enterprises.

The next application round for $70 million in Working Washington Grants will open on Aug. 17 for small businesses affected by the pandemic. Inslee and Guzman met at The London Plane restaurant, itself a beneficiary of Working Washington Grants.

Inslee and Guzman also visited the site of the WSDOT SR 520 Montlake Project to showcase bridge and road improvement projects that will benefit from state and federal infrastructure packages. The state’s recently-passed Move Ahead Washington transportation package and the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest billions in transportation improvements statewide, creating contracting opportunities for small businesses.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Launches Saturday

Washington’s 988 lifeline launches Saturday, July 16. People experiencing suicidal thoughts, a mental health crisis, or substance use disorder may call 988 to reach trained counselors who will take the time to listen and help. People may also call on behalf of loved ones

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Starting Saturday, help for people in crisis is just three digits away: 9-8-8. 988 is the new, nationwide, three-digit dialing code for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The lifeline is accessible by calling, texting, or chatting. The line’s trained operators are caring and compassionate – the average call takes 20 minutes or longer, and operators will direct callers to mental health, suicide prevention, or substance use disorder supports. The 988 line will not replace other crisis lifelines – other lines will continue to operate at their present phone numbers.

“Thanks to the many partner organizations and agencies who have made this resource possible,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “In the same way 911 transformed our ability to respond to emergency safety or health situations, 988 will transform our ability to connect people to help in behavioral and mental health crisis situations.”

Veterans and service members may reach the Veterans Crisis Line by pressing 1 after dialing 988. A Native and Strong Lifeline for Native and Indigenous people will launch soon. Spanish-speaking operators are available (press 2 after dialing 988), and interpretation services are available in over 250 languages. Deaf, hard of hearing, and TTY users may use their preferred relay service or dial 711, then 1-800-273-8255.

WSDA crews hunt “murder hornets” with help from residents

Asian giant hornets, often called “murder hornets,” continue to appear in Blaine and Bellingham. They are invasive and dangerous to people and pollinators. Sven Spichiger, a managing entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, shows off an Asian giant hornet queen.

Invasive Asian giant hornets pose a very real threat to people and pollinators if they propagate. Teams from the state Department of Agriculture continue to catch, track, and eradicate them. Local residents are helping the cause by reporting sightings.

Gov. Jay Inslee visited two helpful residents on Tuesday who alerted WSDA after spotting the hornets near their homes. After a sighting, WSDA crews visit to trap a hornet, sedate it, tie a tiny transmitter to it, then release it. Later, crews trek through thick brush to locate the nest, then don sting-proof suits to vacuum the hornets from within the hive.

“Murder hornets” are one of many invasive species trying to establish a foothold in Washington state. European green crabs and other prolific non-native creatures threaten natural ecosystems. Residents should report sightings of invasive species to the proper authority.

Read more about Asian giant hornets and report sightings on the WSDA website.

Inslee tours hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric drive ferry in Bellingham

‘Sea Change’ built by All-American Marine in Bellingham is a 70-foot ferry powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that may serve as a model for the decarbonization of heavy maritime industry in Washington state and beyond. Gov. Jay Inslee toured the craft on Wednesday.

All-American Marine’s Sea Change is a 70-foot, 75-passenger, zero-emissions ferry soon to operate in Whatcom County. Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, the craft is the first of its kind in the nation, and an example of the potential be unlocked in Washington’s clean energy economy and transportation industry.

Gov. Jay Inslee visited All-American Marine on Wednesday to tour the craft and celebrate continued innovation to decarbonize heavy industry. Washington state’s Department of Commerce and industry leaders recently launched the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association, which has since won federal grants to fund continued breakthroughs in hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The state’s Career Connect Washington workforce development initiative has also benefitted the maritime sector, funding apprenticeship and training programs statewide. In Whatcom County, Career Connect Washington funds helped the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition develop a state-registered NorthWest Maritime Apprenticeship program.

Bellingham Habitat for Humanity project combines housing, clean energy

The Telegraph Townhome project in Bellingham will add 54 affordable housing units, 12 of which will be powered by solar panels. Gov. Jay Inslee toured the site on Wednesday, July 13.

A Bellingham housing project is powering some new affordable housing units using clean energy sources – a new development of 54 homes for low- to mid-income families will feature some units powered by rooftop solar panels. The project is a partnership between Kushan Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity Whatcom County. The project was supported in part with funding from the state’s Housing Trust Fund.

During his visit, Inslee named Mike Roberts, a member of the board of directors of HFHWC, as Washingtonian of the Day to acknowledge his decades of advocacy and effort to build affordable housing.