Ready for the Heat?

Snohomish County has already experienced our first heat wave of the summer! Are you ready for the next one? Snohomish County has new and improved updated hot weather resources. The Snohomish County Public Safety Hub has been updated to include webpages on Extreme Heat and Smoke events. The webpages include printable flyers, public health guidance, tips for protecting vulnerable groups, and other resources to help people stay safe during heat and smoke events. Both webpages are available in multiple languages.
Resources available on the Public Safety Hub this summer include:

A map and list of cooling centers in Snohomish County (please note this is likely to be updated throughout the summer)
Extreme Heat Flyer: Available on the hub in multiple languages.
Heat and Smoke Rack Cards: Available on the hub in English and Spanish.
Heat Stress in Older Adults | Natural Disasters and Severe Weather | CDC
Hot Weather Safety for Older Adults | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)

New Health Officer: Welcoming Dr. James Lewis

The Snohomish Health District is pleased to welcome Dr. James Lewis as the county’s next health officer.
Dr. Lewis is set to start August 1. He brings more than seven years of public health experience and expertise. He is currently a medical epidemiologist with Public Health -Seattle & King County as well as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Washington.
He will take over the Health Officer role from Dr. Chris Spitters, who is stepping down after more than 20 years with the District.
Dr. Lewis has worked in public health at the state and local level. He has experience with leadership roles, project management, disease surveillance and response, communication, and education. He has identified collaboration, equity, and transparency among his leadership priorities.

The Snohomish Health District to Integrate with the County

On May 31^st the Snohomish Health District’s Board of Health passed a resolution in support of the integration of the Health District with the County. The County Council followed with a motion to integrate on June 8^th. This decision was made to strengthen public health in Snohomish County and ensure public health remains a central focus of our region. On January 1, 2023, the new county health department will begin to function. Currently, both the County and the Health District are undergoing administrative integration which will make all Snohomish Health District staff employees of the new county health department and ensure finances, administration, and other details are aligned.

Snohomish County Advancing Health Literacy Lunch & Learn

The Snohomish County advancing health literacy project is working to decrease health disparities face by communities which have been historically excluded or marginalized by identifying and implementing culturally appropriate and evidence-based health literacy strategies. The Health Literacy Lunch and Learn encompasses health literacy basics, the social determinants of health, the impacts of limited health literacy on individuals and the healthcare system and provides attendees space to share their own COVID-19 and pandemic experiences. The lunch and learn will be held virtually on July 15^th from 11-12. You can register at this link. For more information, please visit the Advancing Health Literacy page.