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Public Health: Working for a Safer, Healthier Washington Just a few 2009 service highlights… • Limited the spread of H1N1 by vaccinating 1,500 people, in public and private in the county. • Assured the distribution of 4,045 additional childhood vaccines to local providers. • Served 1,220 women, infants and children with nutrition and education support (WIC.) • Provided 195 low income women with First Steps / Maternity Support visits, to assure a healthy pregnancy and to provide needed support. • Saw 800+ women and men for family planning services and to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted disease. • Addressed food safety in 236 establishments where food is eaten or purchased. • Tested whether drinking water was safe in 1016 analyses. Evaluated 94 septic systems to protect health and water quality. Serving Klickitat County everyday: Ensure the Survival of Our Public Health System! Four things you can do: 1. Support flexible funding for Washington’s communities. Local needs – and local resources – vary. Last year, you passed a biennial budget that recognized the need for local flexibility. Your commitment to public health gave us the ability to respond to pressing public health issues locally. 2. Restore funding to children’s public health nursing programs and Maternity Support Services (MSS). “First Steps” and MSS are credited with improving our state’s infant mortality rates – saving lives as well as state funds. Please restore them, as asked in the Governor’s Book II Budget. 3. Support dedicated revenue for public health. Public Health is a critical service, yet there is not dedicated revenue to assure public health’s viability. The legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Public Health Finance recognized the problem and recommended dedicated revenue to assure basic services – everywhere in Washington. 4. Ensure that no jurisdiction will be negatively impacted by new or altered funding distributions. Current distribution of flexible funding to public health is the result of careful negotiation. This distribution has successfully maintained a basic public health infrastructure for nearly two decades. SUPPORT PUBLIC HEALTH Klickitat County Public Health Department 228 W Main MS CH-14 Goldendale, WA 98620 / [PHONE REDACTED] / www.klickitatcounty.org/health FEB 2010 ---PAGE BREAK--- AT RISK: our community’s health The following summarizes cuts to local public health services for 2010. These programs have been eliminated or reduced as a result of budget limitations as we entered 2010. CUTS: IMPACT: Statewide: More than $32.7 million in public health services will be cut across all 35 Local Health Jurisdictions Public health staff will be cut by more than 250 FTEs, decreasing public health's capacity to respond in a timely manner to disease outbreaks and natural events, such as floods, putting everyone at risk. In Klickitat County: Eliminated: 2.6 PHN positions & 1 Assessment Coordinator. This 18% personnel cut, on January 1, 2009, was a result of decreasing departmental revenue. In Klickitat County: Eliminated: Nurse Home Visiting to CPS referred at risk families This cut, which occurred on Oct.31, 2009, eliminated services to children and families referred through CPS. In Klickitat County: Elimination Expected: Vaccines for Children According to the Governor’s Budget, the state will no longer purchase childhood vaccines. This will create barriers to preventing childhood diseases. In Klickitat County: At Risk of Elimination: CSO Family Planning Nurse Funding This cut will eliminate on-site access to reproductive health services resulting in the potential increase in unplanned pregnancy for low income women. In Klickitat County: At Risk of Elimination: Group B Water Systems 108 systems in Klickitat County will have fewer resources to respond to emergencies and to resolve poor water quality issues. In Klickitat County: At Risk of Elimination: Family Policy Council This cut would eliminate the Skamania-Klickitat County Network staff person, Parent Program Coordinator and support for parenting classes offered through out the bi-county area. In Klickitat County: At Risk of Elimination: Maternity Support Services/Infant Case Management This cut would eliminate Public Health Nurse services/supports to low income pregnant women. SUPPORT PUBLIC HEALTH FOR A SAFER, HEALTHIER WASHINGTON