Official insights from Public Health – Seattle & King County staff
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office Indigent Remains Program provides burial for King County residents who have died without resources or family to claim their remains for a proper burial. The next ceremony to remember these individuals will take place on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 1 p.m. at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Renton (100 Blaine Ave NE). It’s open to any member of the public who wishes to pay their respects.
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A ten-year review of sudden and unexpected deaths among people experiencing homelessness offers a heartbreaking reminder: The median age of death was 51. That compares to an overall median age of 79 for all deaths of King County residents.
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People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of infectious disease. COVID-19 is the most recent and deeply concerning example of that threat. For a population with higher levels of underlying health conditions, less access to resources necessary to stay healthy, and a greater likelihood of living in congregate settings like shelters adds up to an increased risk for infection and severe illness.
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April 2020 marks one year since we announced the first case of locally-acquired hepatitis A in a person living homeless in King County. We identified this case in the context of many cities and states across the country experiencing large outbreaks of hepatitis A among people living homeless or who use drugs.
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While our community has been fortunate in that to-date we have not experienced an outbreak on the scale seen in other large cities and states across the country, we have seen a recent increase in hepatitis A cases in King County, including one death associated with hepatitis A.
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As we’ve reported previously on Public Health Insider, many urban areas in the United States have been grappling with hepatitis A outbreaks, especially among people living homeless and people who use drugs (injection and non-injection). Some states have seen hundreds or even thousands of cases, and a high proportion of these cases have resulted in […]
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