Public health workers, elected officials and other government employees gathered at Gonzaga University Monday to share regional successes on holistic health care.
The session, one of five held across the country, focused on “Public Health 3.0,” an integrated approach that considers social factors such as poverty, educational levels and racism to be important public health issues.
The meeting featured Dr Karen DeSalvo , the acting US assistant Secretary of health, who said Spokane was chosen because of its excellent track record on the issue, including a very strong public health department:
"[Spokane] is nationally accredited and was one of the first in the country to meet that expectation. It has a really strong track record of using data and being a collaborative partner”
DeSalvo says the partnering of various agencies and organizations is key to the health of a community’s citizens:
“If you think about housing , it’s one of the most important determinates of someone’s good health is having safe housing. So having them at the table, the criminal justice system, the business community. This is one of things Spokane has done really well, is bring disparate partners to the community.”
Those in attendance heard about where Spokane needs to do more to improve the health of its citizens.
County Commissioner Shelley O Quinn cited the need for more state funding for mental health, and said she fears the lack of funding could be the next so-called “McCleary decision”, where the State Supreme court faulted lawmakers for not funding education:
“And they’ve been cutting services and funding at Eastern and Western state hospitals. You’ve probably read in the paper the issues around mental health at those hospitals, and then you add on top of that in our local community, that fact that Providence had to reduce the number of beds that they have available. These folks end up cycling through our jail and our emergency rooms, and that’s not the placer to serve them.”
Panelists also talked about the future of public health in Spokane, which is changing as the city’s demographics become more diverse. Because of the cost of housing and the increased influx of people, there has been an increase in the number of homeless in Spokane, especially young people.
