Study shows all-ages helmet law improves safety without deterring riders

November 21, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

By Christina Yantsides The King County Board of Health (BOH) All-Ages Bicycle Helmet Law requires that anyone riding a bicycle, regardless of age, must wear a helmet (for more on the history and specifics of the law, read this). Public Health is a strong supporter of helmet laws, which are an important strategy to prevent […]

5 Pokémon Go tips from your local health department

July 16, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

Pokémon nostalgia has roared back with the release of Pokémon Go and those of us in the public health field are not immune to its charms. We wish we could offer you tips on how to catch that elusive Vaporeon, but the only Insider play tip we have so far is that the lobby of the King County […]

How we use the socio-ecological model to address gun violence

June 30, 2016.Reading time 9 minutes.

Our health officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, recently wrote a Seattle Times op-ed demanding more national and local effort to address gun violence. He wrote the article following the devastating mass shooting in Orlando, but gun violence is much more than mass shootings – it includes suicides, homicides, assaults and unintentional deaths that involve a firearm […]

Child Death Review: Prevention through collaboration

March 21, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

Since 2003, not a single child in King County has died from a helmet-preventable bicycle injury. What helped lead to this victory? King County’s Child Death Review – a collaborative effort to identify opportunities and interventions that prevent children from dying. As the ‘doctor’ for the community, we are responsible for looking at broad trends […]