Latest news with #GCHD
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GCHD calls on federal officials to protect Medicaid
May 19—MOSES LAKE — Earlier this month, the Grant County Health District announced the passing of a resolution to call on federal leaders to protect and maintain funding for Medicaid. The proposed federal budget calls for possible extensive cuts to the program, which provides health care coverage for millions nationwide and thousands within Grant County. "It came about from our health officer (Alexander Brzezny) who has been monitoring some of the conversations at the federal level and what he was hearing from some of the medical associations of some concerns that Medicaid funding could be reduced substantially," said GCHD Administrator Theresa Adkinson. "Looking at our data, we know this would have a huge impact on our health care system and our residents in Grant County," Adkinson said these concerns inspired her to meet with the GCHD Board of Health to explain why this would be important to Grant County. The resolution was adopted by the board April 9. "Once we get the resolution passed, then that authorizes the staff and I to be able to talk with elected officials about the subject and talk about those impacts," she said. After passing the resolution, the GCHD shared it with all their supporting associations as well as the federal and state elected officials with positive feedback. "It opens that door for a conversation so that while it's not on the docket right now, you know that these conversations are happening now," said Adkinson. "They have those talking points from back home on what the impacts would be, not in DC, but here in Grant County." Medicaid is a public health insurance program that provides free or low-cost health coverage to people with low income, disabilities, pregnancies and those living in long-term care facilities. In an article from KFF, formerly Kaiser Health News, on May 14 the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to use the changes to the Medicaid program to help meet spending targets aimed at funding President Donald Trump's domestic priorities. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would decrease the federal deficit by more than $880 billion over 10 years. According to a press release by GCHD, cuts to Medicaid could severely impact access to care for 40% of Grant County residents and more than 1.8 million people across the state. This loss of coverage would threaten health coverage, especially in rural areas where resources are limited. The resolution states that, according to national County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, Grant County is faring worse than the average county in Washington for community conditions which determine health and worse for health outcomes which measure the health of local communities. Congressional Districts 4 and 5 have the highest proportions of adults and total population on Medicaid among Washington regions. "People will stop seeking care because they're concerned about out-of-pocket costs, so in a rural community such as ours, access to health care is critical," said Adkinson. "You don't want folks to have to drive far to seek healthcare and then we already have some healthcare deserts where our community health centers have opened their doors, like down in Mattawa." The resolution further says Medicaid is critical to the survival of rural Washington hospitals by being responsible for more than 25 percent of most Grant County hospitals' revenue. According to data provided by area legislators and hospitals, 30% of Samaritan Healthcare's revenue comes from Medicaid, and 27% of that for Columbia Basin Hospital. Nearby, Othello Community Hospital gets 58% of its revenue from Medicaid. Congressman Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., has said that the country needs to curb spending due to being more than $37 trillion in debt. Legislators from both sides of the aisle have said that spending needs to be cut, but that cuts to Medicaid should be minimal to ensure people have access to care. There is also concern that cuts to Medicaid could have impacts outside of negative impacts to access to medicine, including economic issues. An article from George Washington University said cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could also trigger severe economic consequences. The combined cuts could result in the loss of around one million jobs, $113 billion decline in states' gross domestic products and $8.8 billion in lost state and local tax revenue in 2026 alone. "Medicaid and SNAP programs are not just designed to strengthen individual health and nutrition — they support the economic well-being of communities and businesses nationwide," said Leighton Ku, lead author and director of the Center for Health Policy Research and professor of health policy and management at GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health. Adkinson said any citizens within the community who have concerns about the issue can help by talking with federal officials through hotlines, emails or drop-down boxes and leave messages about how this would impact the community. "Personal stories always have an impact, it's one thing to look at a budget, it's another thing to start looking at the lives that are covered by this funding source and the jobs that could potentially be lost in our community as well," she said.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Respiratory illness season fades in Grant County
Apr. 17—MOSES LAKE — With the arrival of spring the most severe phase of the 2024-25 respiratory illness has officially come to an end, according to the Grant County Health District. "Since March 2025, emergency department visits in Grant County related to COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have remained below thresholds set by the health officers in our region," GCHD officials wrote in a press release Tuesday. "Other indicators show that respiratory virus activity is continuing to decline." The flu caused the most trouble in 2024-25, with the highest rate of hospitalization nationally since 2010-11. Hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 were lower than all previous seasons since the disease first appeared on the scene in 2019. "This season peaked in early February, when 13% of all emergency department visits were related to RSV, flu or COVID-19," the press release said. "Since the season began GCHD has responded to 12 flu outbreaks in schools and long-term care facilities, and five COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities." Healthcare professionals are not required to report respiratory illnesses except for COVID-19 at a healthcare facility, it said, but many healthcare facilities share their observations with GCHD. There have been four flu-related deaths during the current flu season. No COVID-19-related deaths were reported, it said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GCHD presents challenging but important work, officials say
Apr. 3—MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Health District has a lot of jobs and, and according to GCHD Administrator Theresa Adkinson, some of them are pretty difficult. "We have a hard job — I tell staff that all the time," Adkinson said. "We do really hard things. We are part of really hard conversations. But we are also community members, and we too are invested in (the decisions). Everything that we put forward as a public health agency is impacting our own families and lives. We're also living it." Adkinson said one of GCHD's goals for 2025 is to get more information out there about the organization and its work — and to encourage Grant County residents to talk about things they see as public health issues. The health district is writing a "health improvement plan" that is scheduled for publication in early 2026. Next week is National Public Health Week, and Adkinson and GCHD administrators took the opportunity to explain some of GCHD's jobs and plans for the future after the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected everything in sight, including the GCHD. Typically, public health events are handled locally, Adkinson said, by the county public health officer and experts on the GCHD staff. The pandemic moved the response to the state and federal level, and the GCHD became the organization that had to pass on the news. "Things we had historically made the decisions on were shifted once the state emergency was declared. So that did change for us because we became the local messenger," Adkinson said. "It's where we live, it's where our own children go to school. At times, it got very personal for us and the staff. Probably to this day it has still damaged relationships with some of our community leaders." State officials mostly didn't solicit local reaction, she said. "Whenever we were able to provide input or get a place at the table, we sought it out to give a local perspective. Oftentimes that wasn't afforded to us," Adkinson said. Public trust in a lot of institutions — GCHD included — declined as a result of the pandemic, Adkinson said. One of the health district's goals is to build back some of that trust. "To repair that trust, I think it comes with building relationships, and that's what we've been really working on — really leader-to-leader conversations. If you can get the trust of community leadership, I think that helps," she said. The GCHD provides a lot of other services, she said, and highlighting those is part of rebuilding lost trust. Public health can and does encompass a wide range of jobs, including obvious things like food inspection and monitoring drinking water. Stephanie Shopbell, GCHD environmental health manager, said that also includes not-so-obvious things like transfer stations. "Any time you have an area where there is a lot of garbage, there's a risk for contamination and public health impacts," Shopbell said. "So, we look at things like litter. Are they collecting things that they're not allowed to? How are they managing those and are they managing it appropriately? Also, maintaining the site for vectors like rodents. We don't want a big mouse infestation at the transfer station that spreads into the community because they can transmit disease." The health district provides community education along with programs promoting health and safety. Maria Vargas, healthy communities and families coordinator, said that includes substance abuse prevention programs and information to help people avoid chronic disease and reduce childhood injury. It also has programs for children and families, as well as information to support children with special needs. Vargas said some of those programs can be controversial, like the syringe exchange. But use of syringes has decreased among drug users since the types of drugs consumed has changed, Adkinson said. "The people that come to our syringe service program, a lot of them are not there to actually there to exchange syringes; they're there seeking other services that we offer, such the hygiene kits," Vargas said. "Plus, we have Renew (on site) and sometimes we have recovery navigators there. It's become a safe place for people to come in and connect with another human being without being judged." One of the GCHD initiatives is the establishment of an opioid task force in 2024 to help address opioid use, according to a district press release. The health district also works to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and works with outside agencies to coordinate weekly food box deliveries throughout Grant County in 2024, it said. Grant County Health District 1038 W Ivy Ave # 1, Moses Lake 509-766-7960
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Increase in respiratory illnesses in county, state this past week
Jan. 27—EPHRATA — The Grant County Health District released a statement on the increase of respiratory illnesses including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 in both the county and the state for the week of Jan. 12 to Jan. 18. GCHD urges residents to take precautions to protect themselves and others, according to the statement. As of Jan. 18, three flu-associated deaths have been confirmed in Grant County. The deaths occurred in a 60-year-old female, a 60-year-old male and a 70-year-old male — all three had underlying health conditions. "These deaths are a painful reminder of the high influenza activity seen in our country and in our area. Our hearts go out to the families and friends who are mourning their loved ones," Grant County Health Officer Alexander L. Brzezny said in the statement. "As the season continues, we urge you to take steps to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community." In mid-December, over 11% of Grant County emergency department visits were associated with COVID-19, flu and RSV. According to GCHD, this is the highest peak of respiratory illness-related emergency department visits in the past two respiratory illness seasons. RSV and COVID-19 saw slight decreases this month, according to GCHD; however, flu activity still remains elevated. This past week saw an increase in all three in comparison to the prior week in the county with a 0.8% increase in COVID-19, 9.3% increase in flu and a 1.4% increase in RSV. Washington State Department of Health reported 43 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated deaths to date. Most of the deaths occurred in people with underlying health conditions, according to the statement. Flu activity in the state is currently "high" and has been the most common respiratory illness so far this season, according to GCHD. The past week in the state saw an increase in all three respiratory illnesses though with a 0.4% increase in COVID-19, a 4% increase in flu and a 0.6% increase in RSV.
