Summary

As local public health officials respond to the continuing threat of the H1N1 virus (swine flu), King County Executive Ron Sims, local and state elected leaders called on the state legislature to give local communities the tools and the choice to support the public health services they value at a time when funding has dropped to dangerous levels.

Story

As local public health officials respond to the continuing threat of the H1N1 virus (swine flu), King County Executive Ron Sims, local and state elected leaders called on the state legislature to give local communities the tools and the choice to support the public health services they value at a time when funding has dropped to dangerous levels.

"The massive mobilization for the H1N1 flu response over the past two weeks has been a powerful reminder of the role that local public health plays in keeping us safe, informed and healthy, not only during possible pandemics, but also in less visible, but equally important day-to-day activities," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "That’s why it’s imperative that the legislature in its upcoming special session provide the tools counties statewide need to create funding for public health. We need flexible local options so that governments across the state can respond to a future public health crisis – or a worsening of the current one."

"What’s at stake here is a public service that if we lost it, could result in the breakdown of our civilized society as we know it," said King County Councilmember Julia Patterson. "We must be able to keep people healthy and public health is essential to keeping our water and air clean and helping to prevent the spread of disease. We need to stabilize public health funding. I embraced the effort to give us tools that we need to make decisions about public health funding."

Public health funding has been flat or declining for several years, and the current tools governments have to respond to the problem are limited, creating uncertainty for the very services we know people need and depend on every day.

The result is less protection against infectious disease and disasters, fewer opportunities to prevent diabetes and other costly chronic diseases, and more vulnerable people going without access to critical public health clinical services. There are also potential economic impacts to our region if another, full-fledged pandemic hits our region and we’re not prepared with the staff and other resources to respond. Since the H1N1 outbreak was first identified, over 200 Public health staff have been involved in the response, costing approximately $70,000 to date in staff and supply costs.

"Thanks to the foresight of Executive Sims and the support of the Council, we received resources in the past to plan and prepare for events like this current outbreak of the H1N1 virus. But responses like these also require the ongoing and stable investment in the people and expertise who will be there to carry out our plans effectively," said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County.

"This is a public safety crisis and the first job of government is to protect public safety, including public health," said Senator Karen Keiser, who chairs the state Senate the Senate’s Committee on Health & Long-Term Care and Public Health. "We must give local governments the tools and authority they need to do so. I offered the legislature a way of doing this and it’s time to look at this again and take the opportunity to act on and change the law so that governments can ask their own council and citizens to fund public health in a way that let’s them respond to these on-going needs."

"All local government authority to fund programs derives from the state, but the state is facing its own challenges," said King County Council Chair Dow Constantine. "We’re asking for help from the legislature to preserve funding for critical public health needs. I urge the legislature to follow Senator Keiser’s lead and create a local option funding source so that we can help the people who need it right now. In these challenging times, we can’t afford to have public health programs on life support."