Adorable animals: Shameless pandering for emergency preparedness

September 26, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

We know you aren’t as prepared for an emergency as you could be. Don’t feel badly–it’s true for everyone, and even though we are the health department, we’re not going to wag our finger. But we aren’t above wagging some tails. We’re here to remind you to take those next steps to be a little […]

5 Tips on How to Prepare for a Disaster on a Budget

September 19, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Whenever I think about emergency preparedness, it sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money. When money is tight, it’s hard to make emergency preparedness a priority. Since it is National Preparedness Month, I decided to find ways to help save money while preparing for an emergency. Here are a few tips […]

5 apps to conquer your emergency preparedness procrastination

September 12, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

If you’re like me, you’ve been reading the coverage of the hurricanes and feeling like you should do something to be prepared for disasters. Preparing for an emergency sounds like a huge task and I didn’t know where to start. But, since it is National Preparedness Month, I want to share some apps that helped […]

Acts of nature are public health emergencies

September 1, 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

The news from Hurricane Harvey has been heart wrenching. Among the memorable images that emerged was one of nursing home residents sitting in wheelchairs, waist-deep in flood water as they waited for help to arrive. As reported by the New York Times, among the thousands of posts to volunteer rescue groups were common pleas such […]

Adorable animals: Shameless pandering for emergency preparedness

September 19, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

We know you aren’t as prepared for an emergency as you could be. Don’t feel badly–it’s true for everyone, and even though we are the health department, we’re not going to wag our finger. But we aren’t above wagging some tails.(Go ahead and groan.) We’re here to help encourage you to take those next steps […]

Local public health capacity is critical in the response to global health emergencies

September 28, 2015.Reading time 9 minutes.

Last year, our local health department worked intensively with King County healthcare systems and our community in response to the ongoing, unprecedented Ebola outbreak. Our director of communicable diseases, Dr. Jeff Duchin (now also health officer), was a leading figure in our local Ebola preparedness and response activities. At the national level, he worked with […]