HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026_08_24 CHunt_Encampment Policy-ResponseFrom:Apple Martine
To:Monica Mickhager; Allison Berry
Cc:Glenn Gilbert
Subject:Fw: Fw: Request for Board Review of Encampment Policy Implementation and Public Health Outcomes
Date:Monday, August 24, 2026 1:27:14 PM
Attachments:Outlook-JCPBH Logo.pngOutlook-findusonfa.pngOutlook-findusonin.png
FYI that Cendre replied to my response to their public comment. Please read it below.
Dr. Berry - let's talk more the first week of September about some ideas around
proceeding with this larger encampment conversation at the September BOH. Then we
can surface those ideas at our next Agenda Planning Mtg, or sooner if need be.
BTW, as we say goodbye to Glenn, we have made an offer to a candidate to fill his
position. She has accepted our offer and has agreed to start as soon as 9/7/26. She has
education and background in communications and business finance. And she's been
informed about upcoming duties r/t clerking the BOH. She'll get to dive right in!
Hope everyone is well,
Apple
From: Well Organized <info@well-organized.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2026 3:31 PM
To: Apple Martine <AMartine@co.jefferson.wa.us>
Subject: Re: Fw: Request for Board Review of Encampment Policy Implementation and Public
Health Outcomes
ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open
attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Hi Apple,
Thank you so much for this thoughtful response. I really appreciate knowing thatthese concerns are being taken seriously and will be included in the after-actionreviews happening at both the departmental and County levels. I think there is a lotwe can learn from this first implementation of the policy, particularly by includingthe experiences of people directly impacted alongside the perspectives of staff andservice providers involved in the response.
I would be very happy to attend the September Board of Health meeting, and Iexpect other members of Well Organized may be interested in joining as well.
As you begin planning for that discussion, do you have a sense yet of what theformat will look like and how you would like Well Organized and communitymembers to participate? I’d also be glad to provide any additional information orcontext that would be useful as part of the after-action review.
If there are opportunities for community input beyond the Board of Health meeting,particularly from people who have experienced encampment removals directly, Iwould also be interested in learning more about how that input might beincorporated.
Thank you again for the openness to this conversation and for approaching the firstimplementation of the policy as an opportunity to learn and strengthen the process.I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation in September.
Warmly,
Cendre HuntCo-DirectorWell Organized
On Wed, Aug 19, 2026 at 5:11 PM Apple Martine <AMartine@co.jefferson.wa.us> wrote:
Dear Cendre and Well Organized,
Thank you for your thoughtful and compelling comment you've made to the Board of
Health, and for your commitment to ensuring that the County’s Unauthorized
Encampment Removal Policy is implemented with fidelity to the public health, public
safety, and human dignity principles it was designed to uphold.
We have taken your concerns and questions seriously and will be considering them as
part of after-action reviews taking place at both the departmental and county
government levels over the coming weeks. As this was the County’s first response
under the 2025 policy to an unauthorized encampment, there is much to learn from
the experience and from the perspectives of those most directly affected.
We also recognize the importance of ensuring that our response remains connected to
the people and services at the heart of the policy, including the harm reduction and
other public health services provided by Jefferson County Public Health.
To support transparency and public discussion, we will likely place this topic on the
agenda for the September Board of Health meeting. We welcome you and members of
Well Organized of Jefferson County to attend and share in that discussion.
Thank you again for raising these questions thoughtfully and in the spirit of improving
how we serve our unhoused neighbors and our community.
Best,
Apple
Appalachia Martine BSN, RN
Gender Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director
Jefferson County Public Health
615 Sheridan Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Telephone: 360-385-9400 x443
AMartine@co.jefferson.wa.us | jeffersoncountypublichealth.org
Always Working for a Safer and Healthier Jefferson County
Confidentiality Statement: This email message including any attachments, is for the sole purpose of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain confidential & privileged information. Any unauthorized, use, review, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not
the intended recipient, please contact the sender by e-mail & destroy all copies of the original message.
All e-mail sent by this e-mail address has been sent by the Jefferson County e-mail system and is therefore subject to Public Records
Act, a State law found at RCW 42:56. Under the Public Records Law, the County must release this e-mail & it's contents to any person
who asks to obtain a copy (or for inspection) of this e-mail unless it is also exempt from disclosure under State Law RCW 42.56
From: Well Organized <info@well-organized.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2026 11:59 AM
To: Board of Health <boh@co.jefferson.wa.us>; Allison Berry <ABerry@co.jefferson.wa.us>
Subject: Request for Board Review of Encampment Policy Implementation and Public Health
Outcomes
ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not openattachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Well Organized <info@well-organized.org>
Date: Sun, Aug 2, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Subject: Request for Board Review of Encampment Policy Implementation and Public
Health Outcomes
To: <JeffBoCC@co.jefferson.wa.us>
CC: <HDudley-Nollette@co.jefferson.wa.us>, <heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us>,
<GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us>, <JPeters@co.jefferson.wa.us>,
<AMartine@co.jefferson.wa.us>, <ABerry@co.jefferson.wa.us>,
<jkennedy@co.jefferson.wa.us>, <aspeser@co.jefferson.wa.us>,
<SFrederick@co.jefferson.wa.us>, <mreinders@co.jefferson.wa.us>
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing on behalf of Well Organized of Jefferson County and concernedcommunity members regarding the recent unauthorized encampment removal offMill Road.
Our organization participated extensively in the public process that led to theadoption of Jefferson County's Unauthorized Encampment Removal Policy. Weappreciated the opportunity to work alongside County staff, elected officials,service providers, and community members to help develop a policy intended tobalance public health, public safety, and human dignity. Because we care deeplyabout its success, we want to share two situations that raise concerns aboutwhether the policy is being implemented as the Board intended.
We also recognize there may be facts or circumstances of which we are unaware.Our intent is not to reach conclusions prematurely, but to request transparencyregarding these incidents and better understand how the County's public healthframework is being operationalized in practice.
The policy emphasizes that encampment removal should be a last resort, preservepersonal property, connect people to services, and reduce harm wheneverpossible.
The two examples below are shared not simply because of the individual harmsinvolved, but because they raise broader questions about whether the County'spublic health framework is being implemented as the Board intended when itadopted this policy.
1. Loss of Prescribed Medication and Interruption of Care
During the removal, one resident's prescribed Suboxone was reportedly discarded.The policy identifies prescription medications as personal property that is to beprotected and made available for reclamation, rather than discarded. Followingthe loss of his medication, he relapsed.
This raises important questions about whether existing procedures adequatelyprotect prescription medications and maintain continuity of care for individualsreceiving treatment for opioid use disorder.
2. Reported Trespass and Barriers to Accessing Public Health Services
Following the removal, a woman returned to retrieve belongings that she and herpartner had temporarily hidden with the intention of returning for them. She wasstanding on the publicly accessible Larry Scott Trail when she was arrested. Shewas reportedly told that, because of the encampment removal and her previouspresence on County property, she was trespassed from all County-ownedproperty.
If that information was communicated accurately, we are deeply concerned aboutboth its scope and its consequences.
After her release from jail, she was afraid to seek services at Jefferson CountyPublic Health, including harm reduction services, because she believed she hadbeen trespassed from all County property. Whether or not that belief reflectedthe County's legal intent, the result was that she avoided accessing exactly theservices the policy is intended to connect people with.
These outcomes appear difficult to reconcile with the policy's stated commitmentto a public health framework, harm reduction, outreach, and connecting peoplewith available services.
Questions for Board Review
We respectfully ask the Board to review these incidents and help answer thefollowing questions:
Was a countywide trespass order actually issued? If so, what is its legal basis
and scope? If not, what steps will be taken to ensure individuals are not
incorrectly told they cannot access Public Health, harm reduction services,
or other County facilities?
How was prescription medication handled during the removal, and what
protocols exist to ensure continuity of care for individuals receiving
medications for opioid use disorder, including Suboxone and methadone?
Because the policy requires encampment removals to be approached
through a public health framework and consultation with the Director of
Public Health before removals occur, who within Public Health is responsible
for participating in these reviews, what authority do they have, and what public health criteria are evaluated before a removal proceeds?
How are Public Health's recommendations communicated to the County Administrator, Sheriff's Office, Central Services, Public Works, and other
participating departments, and how does the County ensure those recommendations meaningfully inform implementation?
If implementation decisions by one department undermine the policy's public health objectives, what mechanisms exist to identify, review, and
resolve those conflicts?How will these issues be documented and incorporated into the annual
review required by Section 2.7?
The policy already anticipates this type of evaluation. Section 2.7 requires anannual report on shelter and housing capacity, encampment removal outcomes,equity and anti-displacement impacts, and any other information Public Healthconsiders relevant.
We respectfully ask that these incidents be included in that review and that theBoard use it to evaluate whether implementation is achieving the public healthand harm reduction framework it intended when adopting this policy. Theseincidents may also provide an opportunity to identify improvements before similarsituations occur during future encampment removals. We also believe thesequestions warrant discussion before the next annual review so that any neededimprovements can be identified and addressed in a timely manner.
The success of this policy should be measured not only by whether encampmentsare removed, but by whether unnecessary harm is reduced and people remainconnected to healthcare, harm reduction services, medication, and otheressential supports.
We appreciate your attention to these concerns and respectfully request that thismatter be discussed publicly so the Board and community can better understandhow the policy was implemented, whether these incidents have been reviewedinternally, and whether any improvements are warranted.
Because implementation of this policy spans multiple County departments, wehave copied the relevant departmental leadership for transparency andcoordinated review.
Thank you for your continued service to Jefferson County.
Sincerely,
Cendre HuntCo-DirectorWell Organized