Ten-year review of sudden and unexpected deaths among people experiencing homelessness

September 29, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

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.

How to help slow the spread of COVID-19 among people living homeless

July 10, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

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.

Update on Hepatitis A outbreak

May 4, 2020.Reading time 14 minutes.

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.

New cases, including one death, in hepatitis A outbreak

January 9, 2020.Reading time 11 minutes.

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.

Updates on Hepatitis A Outbreak

October 7, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

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 […]

Gone but not forgotten — 2019

July 9, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Every few years, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office (KCMEO) hosts a unique memorial to ensure that every King County resident is remembered. Those who died without resources or family to claim their remains for a proper burial are looked after through the work of the county’s indigent remains program. The next ceremony to remember these individuals […]