Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 300 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008 Protect public health, now and in the future If government exists primarily to protect the health, safety and general welfare of its citizens, Snohomish County, its cities and the state of Washington are coming up short. The Snohomish Health District, the agency that quietly but effectively ensures the safety of the water you drink and the restaurant food you eat, prevents communicable diseases and provides critical health services to the underserved, faces a $4.4 million budget hole that could force more than 30 percent of its staff to be laid off. Public health is a core government responsibility, and now it's in crisis -- one that was foreseen and was therefore avoidable. Officials here and at the state level must act quickly to deal with the immediate emergency, then work collaboratively to dedicate funding streams that ensure public health's long-term viability. To understand how we got into this mess, let's go back to 1996. That's when the state Legislature decided to fund county public health agencies through a dedicated portion of motor vehicle license fees. Before that, counties and their cities contributed jointly to public health on a per-capita basis. The new funding source didn't last long. After voters approved Initiative 695 and the Legislature affirmed it by repealing the motor vehicle excise tax, lawmakers had to pay for public health out of the general fund. They did so, but without annual increases to reflect rising costs and population growth. Likewise, the relatively small county contribution remained flat, even as Snohomish County grew rapidly. The Snohomish Health District reacted prudently, saving where it could and socking money away for emergencies. Rather than praise, though, health district officials were told that they would see no increases in county funding while they had healthy reserves. Dr. M. Ward Hinds, health officer at the time, warned that unless the county and/or state eventually increased their contribution, a deficit would result. Spend the savings, Hinds was told. He did. Now the health district's bottom line is red, and around 35 layoffs are expected to be announced next month. Up to 55 more could come by the end of the year. Dramatic reductions would be made in programs for maternal and child health, vaccinations, tuberculosis control and the prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases, among others. County Executive Aaron Reardon proposes having the county and cities pony up to fill at least part of the hole. So far, minds appear to be open. Longer term, Reardon favors a return to the old per-capita funding plan shared by the county and cities, along with a dedicated state contribution. Both are appropriate. Public health, safety and education must always be at the top of the government priority list. These are its top responsibilities. When they're treated as anything less, government has failed to do its job.

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