Why children die unexpectedly — and what we can do

April 6, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

Children aren’t supposed to die. When children die unexpectedly, Public Health—Seattle & King County pays extra attention. The department looks for lessons to help families and communities prevent future tragedies, using a process that brings together an extraordinary range of expertise. The program is called Child Death Review, and their most recent report – based […]

Meet a “do-it-all” nurse, with a special passion for social justice

April 4, 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

For National Public Health Week (April 3-7th), we’re celebrating by featuring unsung public health heroes who make our communities safer and healthier. Each day, we’ll highlight a public health worker through their own words, sharing their work and why they’re committed to serving our community. Today, we have Tina Maestas, who serves as a Public […]

Should you still sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act? YES

November 18, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

Washington Healthplanfinder is the state's online insurance marketplace

Ever since the election, people are wondering whether their health insurance coverage will survive next year, if the Affordable Care Act (sometimes called “Obamacare”) is targeted for repeal. The short answer is, yes.

Health insurance Navigators will be everywhere this season

October 20, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

Public Health's enrollment team at Southcenter Mall during previous enrollment season

The past three years have proven historic for improving health insurance coverage across America – and especially in King County. Enrollment efforts led by Public Health—Seattle & King County helped push the county’s rate of uninsured adults below eight percent – cutting the rate more than 50-percent since 2013. That represents an increase of more […]

Thanks to aggressive ACA enrollment efforts, King County cuts uninsured rate in half

September 23, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

We have more evidence for how much the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is helping King County residents and how Public Health’s enrollment outreach is paying off. The percentage of working-age adults without insurance has fallen by more than half, according to newly released data from the US Census Bureau (the gold standard for tracking how […]

How our Refugee Health clinic is a key step on the path to self-sufficiency

August 16, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.

The staff at Public Health’s Refugee Health clinic

When refugees escape from war, conflict, famine and other disasters, it’s not unusual for them to end up in King County. We are one of the nation’s major host communities for refugees. A well-organized local network of agencies helps refugees take the first steps into a new life. This network emerged in 1979, when an earlier […]