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Tough Times
And Tough Choices
Economic
Downturn Impacts Public Health
Many of you
know that I work in Olympia and have a permanent home in
Colville. The trip is about 400 miles each way. I’m not
going as often as I used to; it’s expensive. Like most
people, the high gas prices and rising cost of food and
other necessities are affecting me at home. These are
tough times and we all face tough choices.
When the
economy takes a downturn it hits government quickly.
Washington’s economy has been pretty resilient. We’ve
been ranked by two leading financial magazines among the
top five states to do business. However, it’s clear
we’re not going to escape the affects of the current
national economic problems. Businesses like Starbucks
and Weyerhaeuser are laying-off large numbers of people,
and state tax collections from June were well below
expectations.
Like me,
people are being conservative with their spending right
now. With higher food, clothing, and energy prices, many
are having a hard time affording the necessities. With
that, they’re thinking long and hard before buying
things like cars and appliances, or taking an expensive
vacation. Fewer sales mean fewer tax dollars to fund the
work and services provided by local, state, and federal
government agencies.
Many local
health agencies have been feeling the pinch for awhile.
Over the past several years they’ve used some creative
approaches to save money and avoid cutting programs.
Now, many of them have no other options.
In recent
weeks there have been several headlines about local
public health cuts. The Snohomish County Health District
may have to layoff as many as 35 employees by the end of
the year to help fill a large budget gap. Public Health
— Seattle & King County faces a $10 million shortfall in
2009. It may have to cut services and assistance in
areas like family planning, immunizations, and
communicable disease control. These are just a few
examples of many local health departments in our state
facing serious financial problems.
State
budgets have also been affected. You probably heard
about the recent actions taken by Governor Gregoire to
cut back on state spending. The governor has directed
all state agencies to reduce their gasoline consumption
by five percent compared to last year. She’s also
implemented a hiring freeze and has directed agencies to
stop all non-emergency out-of-state travel.
The
governor’s directives are good money management; with
costs going up and revenue going down we must make tough
decisions to make ends meet. Let me assure you, the
public’s health is one of the governor’s priorities, and
every budget decision I make will take into account any
possible impact on our ability to protect and improve
the health of people in our state.
Newborn
Screening Tests Expand — Adding 14 More Disorders
One of my
favorite parts of this job is seeing when public health
directly impacts the health of a child. I’m always moved
to hear about a sick child, especially one with a
disease that is preventable or treatable if detected
early enough. Newborns in Washington are now being
screened for more of these disabling and
life-threatening conditions than ever before. Starting
in July all infants born in Washington are now tested
for 14 rare metabolic disorders in addition to the 10
conditions already included in the current screening.
One other health condition that requires a more complex
testing process will be added soon.
Newborn
screening tests for treatable disorders that are
otherwise unlikely to be detected until they have caused
permanent damage or death. Early detection and treatment
can prevent death and disability for babies with these
conditions. Our staff works closely with Children’s
Hospital in Seattle so that babies with abnormal
screening results are identified, and parents have the
necessary support to care for their baby.
Newborn
screening in Washington has spared nearly 1,000 infants
from disabling and deadly conditions since 1977, when
the Department of Health began testing all babies born
in the state. I’m reminded of just how personal and
important this is when I occasionally get to meet a
family whose baby had a positive test result and
received help. I’m thankful we have a safety net in
place to help ensure all babies have the opportunity to
be healthy, and I thank all of you who have a role in
this process!
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