Yesterday, legislators on the Joint Select Committee on Health Care Oversight traveled to Harborview Medical Center to participate in their final work session prior to the start of the 2020 legislative session. They received updates on the implementation of Cascade Care and transition of the All-Payer Claims Database, as well as an overview of the EMS and Trauma Care System Assessment.
The committee consists of members from the House of Representatives and Senate, and is co-chaired by Sen. Annette Cleveland and Rep. Eileen Cody. It was established in 2013 to provide oversight for the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Department of Health, Department of Social and Health Services, Health Care Authority, and Health Benefit Exchange. The committee monitors each agency’s activities to ensure they are not duplicating efforts and are working towards increased quality of service in order to reduce costs to health care consumers.
After the work session, the legislators took the opportunity to tour Harborview’s inpatient behavioral health and psych unit, the emergency department, and International Medicine Clinic. They were also able to observe Harborview’s Project ECHO telemedicine service.
Last week, legislators from around the state traveled to Olympia for their 2019 Committee Assembly days to hold work sessions and plan for the 2020 legislative session.
On Wednesday, Jacqueline Butin, Social Work Supervisor at Harborview Medical Center, joined representatives from the Washington State Hospital Association and Providence for a work session in the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee on the barriers to hospital discharge and related patient needs. The panel focused heavily on the aging population and provided an overview of current challenges and recommended solutions.
Committee Assembly days also provided the state relations team with the opportunity to meet with legislators, including the House and Senate higher education committee, to discuss opportunities for the 2020 legislative session and thank them for the historic investments made in higher education last legislative session.
The 2020 legislative session is scheduled to start on Monday, Jan. 13 and will last 60 days. During even numbered years, the focus of legislative session is the supplemental budget, which applies fixes to the biennial budget passed during odd numbered years. Gov. Jay Inslee will release his proposed supplemental budget in mid-December and the legislature will use the Governor’s proposal to guide discussions and craft their supplement budget.
Stay tuned for an overview of the Governor’s proposed supplemental budget. In the meantime, check out the UW’s recently released economic impact report here.
Legislative and security staff participated in Stop the Bleed training led by Harborview Medical Center’s Dr. Eileen Bulger and Maria Paulsen, RN. Staff were trained to become an immediate responder to bleeding injuries, which can happen anywhere and are the leading cause of preventable death in multiple casualty events. Instructors worked with staff until they gained the skills to recognize life-threatening bleeding and effectively control it using techniques such as packing and a tourniquet.
For more information about the UW’s Stop the Bleed training, click here.
Capital budget staff visit the UW
Capital budget staff from the legislature and Governor’s office traveled to the UW to receive a capital planning and development overview and participate in a discussion about the UW’s building account. They also had the opportunity to tour campus and visit the health sciences education space, the new population health building, Parrington Hall, and the Burke Museum.
Mental health stakeholders from across the state convene at the HUB
Participants at the Washington State Mental Health Summit discussed the mental health and addiction challenges facing many Washingtonians and took the opportunity to collaborate on new ideas for improving behavioral health care in the state. Hundreds of stakeholders participated with varying professional and lived experience backgrounds.
During the summit, Rep. Frank Chopp was recognized for his hard work and dedication to improving mental health care for Washington residents. Reps. Lisa Callan, Lauren Davis, Tina Orwall, Joe Schmick, and Tana Senn and Sen. Manka Dhingra also participated as presenters or panelists.
Visit wamhsummit.org/about for more information about the Washington State Mental Health Summit.
The UW School of Medicine and Gonzaga University will open a new center for medical education, health sciences and innovation on Gonzaga’s campus in Spokane in 2022. This exciting project is made possible through a public-private partnership with McKinstry, who will design, build and manage the $60 million 80,000 square foot building.
UW President Ana Mari Cauce participated in the announcement in Spokane alongside Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh, UW School of Medicine Dean Dr. Paul Ramsey, and McKinstry CEO Dean Allen. Spokane elected officials and community leaders also shared in the announcement.
On Sept. 12 and 13, the House of Representatives held their first 2019 Committee Assembly days. At the request of legislators, members of the UW faculty participated in work sessions to present their research and provide expertise on topics ranging from cannabis to water quality. Legislators will utilize this information to inform policy decisions in the future.
The Senate is scheduled to hold their Committee Assembly days Nov. 20–21 and the House will hold their second session Nov. 21–22.
Burke Museum celebrates the grand opening of their new facility
The Burke Museum hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of their new facility. The Burke Museum was founded in 1885 and is formally known as The Washington State Museum of Natural History and Culture. It is operated by the UW and cares for and exhibits natural and cultural collections that help us better understand the Northwest’s past.
Thank you to State Reps. Roger Goodman, Frank Chopp, and Debra Entenman, State Sens. Mark Mullet, Jamie Pedersen, and Jim Honeyford, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Gov. Jay Inslee for attending the grand opening and continuing to support the Burke Museum.
To learn more about the Burke Museum, please visit burkemuseum.org.
President Cauce featured in Ahead of the Curve profile
Legacy Washington unveiled their Ahead of the Curve education project featuring UW President Ana Mari Cauce. The project celebrates the national suffrage centennial and highlights historical and contemporary Washington women who have helped advance women since Washington first granted women the right to vote in 1883.
The project also features other notable UW alumni, including:
Former Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire
Five-term president of the Quinault Indian Nation Fawn Sharp
Former Washington State Congresswoman Julia Butler Hansen
Sen. David Frockt helped celebrate the placing of the final beam in the UW’s new center for population health sciences – a significant milestone in a project that has consistently been on time and on budget. At the UW, we believe improving population health worldwide is a moral imperative, driven by our public mission of service to all. Scheduled for completion in 2020, this building will create space for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation to better understand and improve the factors that influence the health and well-being of Washingtonians and people around the globe.
Thank you to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Sen. Frockt, and the Washington State Legislature for providing the funding to make this center a reality.
The Healthy Energy Workers Group participates in a tour of Hanford
On Aug. 20, the UW’s Department of Environmental & Educational Health Sciences convened a work group comprised of stakeholders from the WA State Department of Labor & Industries, WA State Department of Health, multiple labor union representatives, and Harborview’s Center of Excellence for Chemical Exposures to tackle the difficult problem of Hanford workers’ exposure to chemicals and their subsequent health issues.
The day began with a tour of the Hanford site, including visiting tank farms where nuclear waste is stored, and ended with a meeting discussing barriers to appropriate health care and how to address the gap between healthcare specialists and the workers that need services. The work group will meet four more times in 2019 before presenting a report to the legislature on how to best create a Healthy Energy Workers Board.
Rep. Chopp and the King County Council visit Harborview
Rep. Frank Chopp visited Harborview Medical Center to discuss the future of Harborview’s capital infrastructure with the King County Council. Harborview’s primary mission is to provide care to the most vulnerable residents in our state and they continue to exemplify that mission as the leading provider of healthcare to Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured patients in Washington. They work at or above capacity and never turn away a patient, hence the critical capital infrastructure needs. While at Harborview, Rep. Chopp and the King County Council had the opportunity to tour and see firsthand the needs of the emergency department, trauma center, psychiatry emergency services and burn unit.
They also discussed King County and Washington’s behavioral health challenges and the hope for a new behavioral health institute to help address these challenges.
Gov. Inslee visits the R/V Russell Davis Light
Gov. Jay Inslee participated in a ride-along on the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) and the UW’s Applied Physics Laboratory’s (APL) newest research vessel, the Russell Davis Light, to learn more about marine renewable energy technologies. Named after a late longtime APL researcher, the R/V Light is specially designed to test marine renewable energy instrumentation, robotics and other technologies in real-world conditions. Driving the vessel at various speeds simulates tides and ocean currents in order to test marine energy turbines in preparation for a turbine being placed in the Puget Sound. The turbine tested on the brief ride-along generated 1 kilowatt of energy – enough to power a space heater for one hour!
Thank you Gov. Inslee for your interest in and support of the UW’s research on marine renewable energy.
On Friday, Sen. David Frockt and leaders at Harborview Medical Center announced the Harborview Injury and Prevention Research Center (HIPRC) will receive $1 million in state funding over the next two years to research firearm injuries and deaths and develop strategies to reducing gun violence.
Harborview is the regional Trauma 1 hospital for critically injured patients in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, so they have extensive experience in treating patients with firearm-related injuries. In recent years, they have seen an uptick in patients with these types injuries, so funding for gun violence research to determine the scope of the problem and potential solutions is critical.
Gun violence research funding is restricted at the federal level since Congress passed the Dickey Amendment in 1996, which makes state funding the only viable option to advancing this research. HIPRC will use the state funding provided to look at the issue holistically, including the impacts and effectiveness of current and prospective public policy.
Gun violence is an issue that touches every Washington resident. Dr. Fred Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at HIPRC, said that 99% of us will know someone in our lifetimes injured or killed by firearms.
Thank you to Sen. Frockt and the Washington State Legislature for providing funding for this important and impactful research.
Legislators joined more than 200 UW Tacoma supporters and community leaders at UW Tacoma’s annual Summer Soiree benefiting an emergency aid fund for students experiencing financial crisis. Each year, it is estimated that nearly three million students face a financial crisis of one form or another and leave school over an expense of less than $1,000. This unexpected financial expense could be related to medical bills, housing or utility costs, or the breakdown of a car. Over the past year, UW Tacoma’s emergency response team has addressed more than 100 student emergencies! Attendees at this year’s Summer Soiree helped raise $108,000 for student emergency aid, which will be put to great use ensuring UW Tacoma students have the resources they need to stay in school.
During this event, legislators also had the opportunity to visit UW Tacoma’s temporary Academic Innovation Lab, which enables students to dream up and test new ideas in the fields of engineering and technology. UW Tacoma constantly strives to find creative ways to support their unique student population, as well as the local community and employers. The Academic Innovation Lab is an exceptional space for students to explore and learn and UW Tacoma looks forward to working with the state legislature to expand opportunities for students in the South Puget Sound.
Thank you to Sens. Reuven Carlyle, David Frockt, Emily Randall, and Claire Wilson, Reps. Chris Gildon, Drew Hansen, and Laurie Jinkins for attending!
This week, the UW partnered with the Chehalis and Hoquiam School Districts and the Quinault Indian Nation to host a STEM camp for incoming 9–12th graders focused on engineering and medical science. At this one-of-a-kind camp, faculty and students from the UW College of Engineering and UW Medicine provided local students with opportunities to interact with cutting-edge technology and science.
Teams of students built core engineering skills as they used computer design, 3D printing and prototyping processes to design a gravity car for ultimate performance. Students also utilized a team science approach in a simulated lab environment to learn about complex medical procedures and trauma care.
Sen. John Braun, who represents the local 20th legislative district, stopped by to speak with the students and watch them in action as they engaged in hands-on learning in the fields of engineering and medicine. Thank you, Sen. Braun!
Recently, twenty-five new UW faculty members participated in the UW’s annual five-day Faculty Field Tour to explore Washington’s diverse communities and learn about UW’s impact across the state. The tour visited communities throughout Washington, including Olympia, Vancouver, Toppenish, Richland, Ritzville and Spokane. At these stops, local legislators also had the opportunity to participate and engage with the faculty.
In Vancouver, Sen. Cleveland and Reps. Harris, Hoff and Wylie joined for dinner at the Heathman Lodge and participated in a lecture with Assistant Professor Alison Duvall about the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
In Toppenish, Rep. Corry met us at the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, which is the largest community health center in the Pacific Northwest.
In Richland, Rep. Boehnke joined for the tour of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and had the opportunity to hear the sound of two black holes colliding.
In Ritzville, Sen. Schoesler generously invited the faculty members to visit and explore his family wheat farm and talked about his extensive experience as a Washington State wheat farmer and legislator.
In Spokane, Reps. Graham, McCaslin and Riccelli joined for breakfast at The Davenport and participated in conversation about economic development in Spokane and the UW’s impact.
Sen. Holy and Rep. Chandler also took the opportunity to meet with staff in-district to discuss some of the issues important to UW, UW Medicine and their local community and constituents.
Thank you to the legislators who participated! For more information about the UW Faculty Field Tour, click here.
Late Sunday evening, the legislature passed the 2019-21 operating and capital budgets, marking the end of the 105-day legislative session. The budgets have been delivered to Governor Inslee for signature.
The legislature made significant investments in the UW and higher education in the final compromise budgets. The budgets provide increased funding for student financial aid and critical foundational budgetary needs for the UW. Both the operating and capital budgets include key funding to support UW Medicine and the state’s behavioral health system. The final budgets will help ensure that the UW and our hospitals will be able to advance our public service missions and better serve the needs of our students, faculty and staff, and community. Thank you to our legislators for their hard work and support of UW!
For a comprehensive summary of the operating and capital budgets, click here to view a brief prepared by the UW’s Office of Planning and Budgeting.
The UW Office of State Relations is grateful to the UW campus community, Board of Regents, and President Ana Mari Cauce for their efforts in Olympia this session. Check out President Cauce’s most recent blog post, where she provides her comments on the final budgets and results from the 2019 Legislative Session.
