Latest news with #WashingtonDepartmentofHealth
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky, who stayed in Colville for the job, has died: 'She loved this place until the moment she passed'
Apr. 10—Pioneering former Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky died earlier this week at age 78. The Eastern Washingtonian is credited with drastically cutting the rate of smoking and increasing the number of vaccinated children in the course of her 14 years as the state's top health official. Selecky was also devoted to Colville, the small town she called home for more than 50 years and where she served as a local health official. "She is so much of who we are as a health district and as a community," said Northeast Tri County Health District Administrator Matt Shanz. Selecky led the Stevens, Pend Oreille and Ferry County health district for 20 years before her time in statewide office. "She loved this place until the moment she passed away. There were a lot of pulls for her to move full-time to the West Side. But Colville was always the place that was home her," Shanz said. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, Selecky found herself in the town 70 miles north of Spokane through a happenstance of "wanderlust," she said in a 2007 interview with The Spokesman-Review. Selecky was appointed as Washington Department of Health Secretary in 1999 and remained in the job until her 2013 retirement. First appointed by then-Gov. Gary Locke, she was kept on in the job by Govs. Chris Gregoire and Jay Inslee. When she got the job, Selecky was "a bit of a longshot" coming from a rural Eastern Washington health district, Locke said in an interview Thursday. "But the moment I first spoke to her, I saw her enthusiasm and her belief we needed to involve local communities instead of a top-down Olympia approach," the former governor said. "I am really saddened by the news of her passing. Because her endearing personality was so warm and friendly, she was always able to bring disparate groups together." As health secretary, Selecky led campaigns to reduce cigarette smoking and increase rates of childhood vaccination. She led the state's response to mad cow disease and the 2009 swine flu crisis Locke said her work to reduce smoking might be her most enduring impact on the health of Washington residents. For much of the 2000s, Washington reduced cigarette smoking more quickly than most states, and it had been cut by more than a third by the time she left office. "Mary realized that the key was how smoking targeted young people. Her belief was that once young people start smoking, it is very hard to stop. And it was because of her that was such a focus," Locke said. Former Spokane Regional Health District leader Dr. Kim Thorburn saw Selecky "truly respect rural values" as a local and state official. At the Northeast Tri County Health District, Selecky led efforts on HIV prevention even when many larger public health agencies had not addressed that crisis. "Mary could take something like HIV prevention — something where there was a lot of pushback — and she was able to bring strategies like a needle exchange to her community and communicate it in a way that made sense for rural Washington," Thorburn said. After retiring, Selecky joined Providence's Community Mission Board and the Stevens County Hunger Coalition Board and served as a clinical professor at University of Washington School of Public Health. She was awarded the Joe Hopkins Memorial Award from the Washington State Hospital Association in 2020. "I live at 3,600 feet elevation, and the sunsets are fabulous, and the sky full of stars and planets are just incredible," Selecky said in a 2013 Spokesman-Review interview. "I need to be able to breathe that mountain air and just be and figure out where to invest my time. What I do know is it's certainly got to touch my heart." Arrangements for a funeral and memorial service had not been announced as of Thursday afternoon.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Feds cancel $12 billion of grants to state health department, including $130 million to Washington
Mar. 26—At least $130 million in federal funding to the Washington Department of Health was canceled this week. The cuts are part of at least $12 billion federal Health and Human Services grants to state health departments across the country, as first reported by NBC News. The terminated Washington DOH grants come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a branch of HHS. "This funding has been essential in supporting critical public health systems, including disease monitoring, reporting, and vaccine efforts for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses," the Washington DOH said in a statement. The impacted grants include those for the following: * Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program. * Immunizations. * Care Connect. * Partnership Evaluation. * Health Disparities. These cuts impact the work of more than 200 Washington DOH employees and will impact local health jurisdictions, the state department said. The Spokane Regional Health District did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday on how their funding could be affected. The nationwide grant cuts include $11.4 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and approximately $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Washington storm: Here's how to navigate power outages and check outage maps in your area
Weather agencies around western Washington are warning residents to brace for severe thunderstorms and golf-sized hail on Wednesday. With this weather pattern, power outages in some areas should be expected. Depending on the severity, these outages can last several hours or at worst-case scenario, a few days. Power outages can cause an inconvenience at best and safety concerns at worst. According to the Washington Department of Health: Register life-sustaining and medical equipment with your utility company. Consider buying a generator. When installing a generator, follow the instructions carefully. Keep your generator outside and run a cord inside. Don't connect your generator to main service panels—it's dangerous! Be sure to place a carbon monoxide detector indoors. The DOH has generator safety tips here. Make sure your disaster preparedness kit contains light sticks, flashlights, a battery-powered radio with extra batteries and a wind-up clock. Have backup portable cell phone charges ready to go and already charged. Have a safe alternative heat source and supply of fuel. Never burn charcoal or use a generator indoors. If you own an electric garage door opener, know how to open the door without power. Turn off lights and electrical appliances except for the refrigerator and freezer. Even if it is dark, turn light switches and buttons on lamps or appliances to the 'off' position. Unplug computers and other sensitive equipment to protect them from possible surges when the power is restored. Leave one lamp on so you will know when power is restored. Wait at least 15 minutes after power is restored before turning on other appliances. Conserve water, especially if you use well water. Never use gas ovens, gas ranges, barbecues or portable or propane heaters for indoor heating—they use oxygen and create carbon monoxide that can cause suffocation. Candles can cause a fire. It's far better to use battery-operated flashlights or glow sticks for lighting. Using a kerosene heater, gas lantern or stove inside the house can be dangerous. Maintain proper ventilation at all times to avoid a build up of toxic fumes, and be sure to have a carbon monoxide detector. Stay away from downed power lines and sagging trees with broken limbs. Seattle City Light Outage Map Puget Sound Energy Outage Map Snohomish County PUD Outage Map Tacoma Public Utilities Outage Map Peninsula Light Company Outage Map Pacific Power Outage Map Lewis County PUD Outage Map Cowlitz County PUD Outage Map Chelan County PUD Outage Map Clallam County PUD Outage Map Orcas Power and Light Outage Map Seattle weather: How to prepare for predicted thunderstorms, large hail Stay up to date with the latest forecast Here's how to navigate power outages and check outage maps in your area Share your storm pics with us! Stay up to date with all the latest storm developments by downloading the KIRO 7 app on Google Play or the App Store. You can also find us on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TVs and Google TV.
