Tina Orwall to address mental health disparities at summit

She vice chairs the House Human Services Committee, has already presided over the House floor, and is now one of the members of the Washington state delegation attending the National Policy Summit on the Elimination of Disparities in Mental Health Care, and this is only Rep. Tina Orwall’s first term in the Legislature.

“I am honored to be part of the delegation from our state to participate in this important summit. I look forward to identifying the actions needed to address these disparities in care,” said the Normandy Park democrat who is in New Orleans for the summit until tomorrow, June 11.

Back in January Governor Gregoire received an invitation from Eric B. Broderick, D.D.S., MPH, Acting Administrator/Assistant Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to submit an application to participate in the National Policy Summit on the Elimination of Disparities in Mental Health Care.

The purpose of this project is to convene a policy summit to design and implement policy supporting the elimination of mental health disparities with particular focus on cultural and linguistic competence.

Washington submitted a policy initiative and was one of six states selected to participate in the summit in addition to New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland and Florida. Each state sent delegations of key leaders to participate in this three-day event. Orwall is the only legislator in Washington state’s delegation.

The proposed policy initiative, for which our state was selected, focuses on comparable access to services and comparable service outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities and other under-served groups. Its implementation will involve establishing practice guidelines and consultation protocols aimed at promoting greater access, consumer satisfaction and positive outcomes.

The Policy Summit on the Elimination of Mental Health Disparities is organized by the Center for Mental Health Service, Human Resource Research Organization, University National Technical Assistance Center, Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competency, AFYA. Funding was provided by event organizers to cover the costs of travel and lodging for up to seven members of each delegation.

Washington State Delegation:

• C. H. Hank Balderrama, DSHS Mental Health Division (Lead delegate and team recorder)
• Vazaskia Caldwell, DSHS Division of Health Care Services Representatives
• Winona Hollins-Hauge, Governors Interagency Council on Health Disparities
• Connie Mom-Chhing, Mental Health Division Ethnic Multicultural Advisory Committee (EMAC)
• Patty King, SAFE WA
• Tina Orwall, Washington State House of Representatives
• Rick Crozier, Good Samaritan Behavioral Health, Comm. Svcs. for Older Adults

A couple of calendar announcements

June 10Rep. Reuven Carlyle is hosting an informal coffee hour for Phinney Ridge residents at Herkimer Coffee (7320 Greenwood Ave) starting at 8 a.m. A short tour of the nearby Phinney Center will follow. Carlyle plans to host several similar coffee meetings throughout the 36th legislative district.
June 11 Reps. Ross Hunter and Deb Eddy, along with Sen. Rodney Tom, are hosting a Town Hall on Thursday evening at Redmond City Hall (15670 NE 85th Street) starting at 7 p.m.

Health care help for the uninsured

The news is full of sobering stories about people around our state and nation struggling to find affordable health care.

Here in Washington, the number of uninsured people in our state is rising to historic highs and the state is increasing premiums for the Basic Health Plan.

That's why the state Insurance Commissioner has posted a resource page for anyone who needs help finding health care coverage for themselves or their children, is having trouble paying for the prescription medicine, and more.

If you know of someone who might find this information helpful, and you probably do, please pass it along.

www.insurance.wa.gov/consumers/FirstAid_Uninsured

Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney to serve on gov's aerospace council

Yesterday, Governor Gregoire announced the fourteen members who will "oversee state efforts to ensure that Washington remains the leading location in the world in which airplanes are designed and built."
The Governor established the Washington Council on Aerospace based on recommendations after a competitiveness report was released in April.
Among the fourteen serving on the council is Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney who chairs the House Community and Economic Development and Trade Committee.
“The aerospace industry is a vital component for our state’s economic foundation. It is important for us to maintain a state-of-the-art workforce at all levels of the aerospace industry to promote economic development and growth while also retaining the companies providing quality, family-wage jobs,” Kenney says.

“I want to thank the Governor for her stewardship and foresight in organizing this council of stakeholders who will make things happen for the aerospace industry in Washington State.”

Driscoll named Business Star for 2009 legislative work

The Washington State House of Representatives has a new business champion – Rep. John Driscoll of Spokane.

At a Tuesday luncheon, the Business Institute of Washington honored five legislators for their work during the 2009 legislative session.

“Their work in support of a strong private sector during this year’s legislative session, with their keen recognition that a healthy business community creates jobs and fuels Washington’s economic,” said the group in a press release.

"Legislators were evaluated on their ability to support and champion good, pro-business legislation that will ultimately benefit the economy, particularly in these difficult economic times.”

Driscoll supported and voted for numerous business measures, and also sponsored several bills to support a stronger health care industry.

“Without a robust health care sector, we cannot achieve our goals of improved quality of care and access to medical care,” Driscoll said. “In health care and other areas, we need balanced solutions that work for everyone, and that will continue to be my focus.”

Are they, or aren't they, mooring on Mystery Bay?

The mooring buoys are there but is there a boat mooring there?

That question is at the heart of an issue threatening the livelihood of a shellfish harvester on Mystery Bay.

Mystery Bay is a beautiful spot located across from Marrowstone Island in Jefferson County. It is a place where boaters who are heading to the San Juans often make a final stop on their way to the islands.

It is also home to a shellfish harvester that has been in business for about 100 years. This business employs between 50-100 people, and this is their busiest time of year. However, the state Department of Health is under pressure to close the bay to shellfish harvesting because of pressure from the Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA says there are too many boats mooring in the bay which presents a health danger because of the discharge from the boats.

But that might not be the case. The issue appears to be that the number of mooring buoys in Mystery Bay indicates a higher level of boat activity than there actually is. In fact, some of the mooring buoys are actually abandoned.

One solution might be that if the abandoned mooring buoys are removed, the FDA will stop pressuring the state Department of Health to close the bay to shellfish harvesting, and the jobs can be saved.

That's why the Department of Health is hosting a public meeting in coordination with the Jefferson County Department of Community Development, Washington's Department of Natural Resources, State Parks and the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association.

Rep. Kevin Van De Wege is attending the June 15 meeting because he supports having DNR create a more simplified, streamlined process for permitting of buoys, as well as a solution for removal of the ones that are abandoned. The goal is to save jobs and also allow limited mooring of boats in such a beautiful location.

We're not just high-tech, but really really really high-tech

The Seattle metropolitan area has zoomed past Boston to become the nation's second-leading high-tech center, according to a new ranking of 393 regions in North America's High-Tech Economy.

Seattle's rank was surpassed only by Silicon Valley in "North America’s High-Tech Economy: The Geography of Knowledge-Based Industries," a study of 19 high-tech business indicators released on June 3 by the Milken Institute.

As the Puget Sound Business Journal summarized:

Using data from 2007, the study indicates that the high-tech industry provided $22.3 billion in wages in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area and employed 226,000 people in 2007. In the sub-category of software publishing, the Seattle area ranked No. 1 nationally, with that high-tech industry employing 46,318 people who earned wages of more than $7 billion in 2007. Seattle also ranked high in the aerospace product and parts manufacturing sub-category, with 76,148 people earning $6.69 billion in 2007.

The high-tech ranking is good news for the state economy, for as the Milken Institute study reports,"Cities with strong high-tech bases will perform best as the economy recovers because the jobs generated by these fields pay so well."

A separate report released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Department showed that Washington has the third highest Internet usage in the United States, trailing only Alaska and New Hampshire.

Hey! Didn't we read something about this high-tech-stuff-good-for-Washington-economy-stuff yesterday?