HomeMy WebLinkAbout01282021_Austin_Ltr to Govenor John Austin
1120 Thomas St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Governor Jay Inslee
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Dear Governor Inslee, 27 January, 2021
First I wish to thank you for your thoughtful and competent service to our state. This letter
constitutes my first criticism of your policies. I have had the honor to serve as Chair of the State Board
of Health and as Chair of the Jefferson County Board of Health. Service in both these positions gives me
a sense of what has worked.
I ask you to delay or modify your proposal for the regionalization of Health Boards. I can
understand the rationale for regionalization in areas where the local health boards have been in
disarray. We have witnessed resignations, terminations and conflict in several boards which suggests
that the state needs to intervene. However it is counterproductive to force competent boards to
disband and go through the efforts required to create regional boards; particularly during a pandemic.
The Jefferson County Board of Health has a history of providing excellent service to the county
as well as serving as a model for other boards. As you may know, Dr. Weissman included the Jefferson
Health Department in his doctoral studies. The Jefferson County Nurse Family Partnership has been a
leader in this field. Needle exchanges, school based clinics, family planning, and vaccine hesitancy
programs have led to measurable positive outcomes. When necessary, Jefferson has partnered with
other counties or tribes to share expertise. These partnerships were initiated by the county without
imposition by the state. However the County Health Board maintained its integrity. If Jefferson were
forced to become part of a regional board, it would likely be tied to Kitsap County by a fragile floating
bridge.
So I ask you, Governor, remember the basic rule of medicine: First do no harm. Please don’t
disband a proven Board of Health. While your suggestion has merit, it deserves further study and
input from experts in public health; perhaps from the CDC and schools of public health.
Sincerely,
John Austin, PhD
atwoodjohn03@yahoo.com
360 301 0833