[2/23 CHI Mtg] State Policies and Okanogan Community Health

On February 23rd, CHI members came together to about policy proposals being discussed in Olympia right now that could influence our CHI members’ work and the health of our Okanogan community.

From large funding investments in housing to healthcare workforce and reimbursements for health services, this is an exciting year of movement in our state.

Click on the recording below to hear from local leaders about action in childcare and early learning, housing, healthcare capacity and workforce, mental health, and substance use. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about the legislative process and how we can best support our partners.

Jan 23-26: Homeless Point-In-Time Count Begins

The Big Picture:

Every day, families, adults, young people, and children are sleeping in cars, on couches, and on the streets in Okanogan County, calling to action our schools, hospitals, social workers, elected leaders, law enforcement, first responders, and others . Once a year, the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count brings an opportunity to better understand this community crisis and set the foundation for more homelessness investment, resources, and coordination, but to be successful, the PIT needs participation from community partners in every corner of Okanogan County.

What is the Point-In-Time Count?

Communities are required by state and federal agencies to conduct a one-day Point-In-Time (PIT) Count that surveys people experiencing homelessness. The PIT Count includes both *sheltered individuals (temporarily living in emergency shelters or transitional housing) and unsheltered individuals (those sleeping outside or living in places that are not meant for human habitation). PIT Counts are one source of data among many that help us understand the situations and characteristics of people living in Okanogan County without a home.

Why Does it Matter?

The PIT Count helps inform priorities for federal, state, and local funding. It also helps identify trends and craft solutions for the needs of vulnerable individuals and families. Knowing approximately how many families with children, unaccompanied youth, unsheltered veterans, etc. are homeless, helps local housing providers and our City and County governments plan for homeless services and measure progress toward goals. The Count is also required by Washington State and federal laws as a condition of receiving financial assistance to fund homeless services.

In 2022, the Okanogan County PIT Count identified just 57 homeless individuals and zero unaccompanied homeless youth, a number that many community partners think substantially underrepresents the total homeless population in our county. Like all surveys, the PIT Count has limitations and factors that affect the count results in any given year (like weather and volunteer participation).  But if we come together to collect better data, we can tell a critical story about homelessness in our county and position ourselves for real and lasting solutions.

How Does it Work?

Nationally, the annual PIT Count happens on January 26th and is carried out by volunteers and community partners who gather information directly from homeless individuals about their housing situation. In Okanogan County, PIT surveyors gather information for a full five days the week of January 23-27.

Okanogan County needs to reach as much of the county as possible. Right now, PIT Count organizers are calling on community partners to help with the following:

1. Rally more volunteers

2. Identify places where homeless individuals are living in sheltered and unsheltered areas (*see definition above)

3. Lead or work with current leads to help organize and manage volunteer groups in communities throughout the county

4. If an agency uses Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), help with data entry of the paper survey forms

5. Put the PIT Count on agendas for big meetings to explain the PIT and encourage volunteers

How to Get Involved?

For more information about the PIT Count in Okanogan County, go to www.occac.com/PIT

• For general volunteer or agency participation: Miranda Maple at Okanogan County Community Action Council, 509-422-4041

• In the Methow Valley: Erin or Kat at Room One, 509-997-2050

• In the Oroville area: Ashley Range at the Oroville Housing Authority, 509-991-0396 

• For unaccompanied youth: Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement (FYRE), info@okfyre.org

Click below to download and share ….

Okanogan County Candidates Respond to CHI Issues

In the June, 2022 the Okanogan CHI held a forum for Okanogan County candidates for Sheriff, County Commissioner, and State Representative. Community health leaders talked with candidates about Housing, COVID-19, Smoke Readiness, Substance Use, At-Risk Youth, Community Health Workforce, Childcare and Mental Health, check out the recordings below.

Okanogan County Commissioner Candidates talk Housing, COVID-19, and Smoke Readiness

Okanogan County Sheriff Candidates talk Substance Use and Overdose, At-risk Youth, Partnerships with Community Health Networks

State Representative Candidates talk Community Health Workforce, Childcare, and Mental Health

2022 CHI Candidate Forum: June 30th

The Okanogan CHI will be hosting a Candidate Forum on key community health issues with candidates for the office of Okanogan County Sheriff, Okanogan County Commissioner, and 7th District State Representative. We hope you and your team can join us!

[CHI Meeting Announcement] 5/26/22 Smoke Exposure & Preparedness

As we look towards summer, many in our CHI network are considering how smoke will once again affect our communities. After several years of smoke exposure, we have new data on health risks and disparities and growing knowledge of community-level preparedness. Join us this month to learn from Methow Clean Air and partners about smoke-related health disparities in Okanogan County and opportunities to close these gaps in community health.

We'll also hear from our partners at Village Voice about findings from an Okanogan County survey on COVID-19 Vaccine access -- helpful information as we think together about outreach and equity around smoke exposure.

This will be an IN-PERSON Okanogan CHI meeting on Thursday, May 26th at 12:00! The meeting will be at the Twelve Tribes Omak Casino meeting room; the Okanogan CHI will provide lunch. We encourage you to join and bring members of your team, this is a great opportunity to meet members of our community health network.

Wildfire Smoke, Air Quality & Local Action

Written by Elizabeth Walker, PhD

August 13th, 2021

Most of Okanogan County has been engulfed in smoke since late June when BC fires started up. We now have our own set of local wildfires, and Winthrop is getting national and global attention for having some of the worst air quality in the world this month. 300, 400, 500+ AQI. Anything over 250 is considered hazardous to our health, and anyone suffering through this knows how hard it can feel.

This isn’t the kind of attention anyone wants.

Wildfires and smoke aren’t going away for the foreseeable future, and they are likely to get worse before they get better.

Research on Wildfire Smoke and Health

Research continues to reveal that wildfire smoke is detrimental to health at lower exposures and contributes to more types of disease than previously appreciated. The lung and heart have long been identified as targets for the particular matter (PM2.5) found in smoke, but recent evidence has now implicated PM2.5 in diseases of the skin, nervous system, liver, kidney, immune system, as well as low birth weight for exposed pregnant women. Alarmingly during the pandemic, correlations between exposure to wildfire smoke and increased cases of Covid-19 have been observed; this is biologically plausible as smoke is known to increase susceptibility to respiratory infection. Smoke-induced stress from disrupted daily routines, inhibited ability to be outdoors, and social isolation is compounded by evacuation notices, visible flames, and the hypervigilance of keeping tabs on fire activity when wildfires are local. Mental health and wellbeing are very much at risk due to smoke and fires.

In Okanogan County, it is also important to consider that these large annual doses of wildfire smoke come on top of poor winter air quality due to woodsmoke, localized exposures from outdoor burning, and smoke from prescribed fire necessary to restore forest health and prevent catastrophic wildfire. Even before you include wildfire smoke, our region has been identified by the Washington Department of Ecology as an “area of concern” for our persistent PM2.5 levels that threaten to violate the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).

Intense periods of unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke – such as repeatedly experienced in Okanogan County over the last 10 years - are increasingly appreciated as disasters, with specific actions that can be taken towards preparedness, response and recovery. The good news: we know how to do this, and we have a committed and growing cadre of professionals and organizations helping with disaster preparedness and response. The CHI and its members will recognize ourselves in playing a role, both individually and organizationally. If you are interested in participating in wildfire smoke readiness, or have questions, please contact Liz Walker at Clean Air Methow.

Response (steps to take now):

• Ensure N95 masks are widely available. Distribute at places where people already are – fire information boards, health clinics, post offices – as well as town halls and county public health. Okanogan County Public Health has a large supply.

  • Fit and comfort are critical. A full seal around the mask’s edge must be created for protection.

  • For the first time, masking in wildfire smoke is now recommended for children. KN95s come in smaller sizes and are more likely to achieve the necessary fit.

• Promote the importance of clean indoor air. Without active filtration in wildfire smoke, indoor air is frequently as bad as outdoor air.

  • Help create equitable access to clean indoor air.  For example…

    • Ensure vulnerable populations, especially households with children, those with underlying health conditions, or those on fixed or limited incomes – have the ability to create clean indoor air. Box-fan air cleaners can be built for about $45; Room One in Twisp has a box-fan air cleaner distribution program. More of these programs are needed to reach everyone in the community.

    • Circulate information on how to create a “clean room” indoors. 

• As community health professionals, model healthy behavior.

  • Ensure your work buildings and home have clean indoor air. Upgrade HVAC systems with the highest-rated MERV filter they can handle, use or supplement with HEPA air purifiers or DIY box-fan air cleaners as necessary.

  • Wear a N95 mask when the AQI exceeds 150 (or lower!)

  • Ask patients and clients how wildfire smoke is impacting them, and provide information and resources to help protect physical and mental health. 

Recovery (what comes next)

• Debrief, collect information from the community, and analyze successes and needs

  • Ex. KN95s in small sizes were not available this year through Okanogan public health and challenging to find online. Can we get these for next year?

• Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to become a “smoke-ready community” that identifies and helps support and fund key partners to carry out their specific roles.

  • Modeled and usefully piggy-backed onto efforts to become “fire-wise” or “wildfire-ready”, smoke ready communities 1) know their sources of air pollution, 2) are actively working to reduce them, and 3) have resources to protect their vulnerable community members

  • Smoke-readiness incorporates not only wildfire smoke disasters, but also long-term strategies to reduce exposure to air pollution. This includes exposure-reduction interventions such as mask-wearing and ensuring clean indoor air, AND improving air quality wherever possible such as through reduction of outdoor burning and decreasing woodsmoke from home-heating. Diverse partners will include those focused on air quality, county health, social and health services, emergency/disaster response, municipalities, those involved in fire-wise efforts, etc…

Preparedness (doing it better next time):

• Broadly advertise and support community partners in “Smoke-ready week,” the second week of June to encourage preparedness.

• Clean Air Methow has developed a “smoke-ready checklist” that is available for anyone’s use and dissemination online, in print, or pdf.

• Coordinate partner meetings ahead of smoke season to ensure awareness of information, resources, and a communication plan.

Local non-profit projects dedicated to smoke-readiness

www.cleanairmethow.org

www.okcleanair.org