A Shared Responsibility & A New Framework
We all deserve reliable and efficient public health services, information, and response. Tracking, responding to, and preventing costly food and water contamination and disease outbreaks is essential to protecting the public’s health. Providing these public health services and response is a shared state and local responsibility.
The gap to fully fund and implement communicable disease control and environmental public health programs, as well as behavioral capabilities like assessment, is $296 million per biennium.
Is Our Public Health System on Life Support?
A series of public health budget cuts is forcing our health professionals to ask, "Is Our Public Health System on Life Support?" See a recap of Town Hall Events where that question was discussed with health leaders and audience members. The video features perspectives from:
Herb Weisbaum, KOMO, Moderator
Jaime Mendez, KUNS, Moderator
John Wiesman, Washington State Secretary of Health
Patty Hayes, RN, MN, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County
Ben Danielson, MD, Pediatrician, Seattle Children’s
View the Town Hall on KOMO TV
View the Spanish Town Hall on Univision/KUNS TV
Washington's population has grown by more than one million residents since 2000. In that same time, when adjusted for inflation and population growth, public health funding has decreased by 40%.
Disease epidemics like Ebola and Zika are more complex and taking longer to investigate, and our population is expected to grow by another two million residents by 2025. Our families and communities deserve reliable and efficient public health services, information, and response.
