As of April 28th, 1,132 cases of whooping cough have been reported in the state. The epidemic is on pace for as many as 3,000 cases this year, health officials said.
Since the beginning of the year, 640 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Washington State. Last year by this time, only 94 cases had been reported.
If passed, the Reproductive Parity Act would make the Evergreen State the first in the country to require public and private insurers to cover abortion if the plan covers maternity services.
The recognition is part of Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative, which seeks to join community organizations, local cities, schools districts and public health agencies in efforts to reduce the leading causes of preventable death, such as obesity and tobacco use.
Children who have not been fully immunized have fallen ill in recent whooping cough and chickenpox outbreaks in the state.
New law may allow state to seek a federal subsidy worth $52 to $60 million a year to help finance the state’s cash-strapped Basic Health Plan.
Sherie Brace of Seattle will lose insurance this summer when Washington is set to end coverage for her and 65,000 other low-income residents.
Projections for Washington state from the Obama administration
Life sciences creates an estimated 77,000 jobs statewide – report.
State’s obesity rate has nearly tripled over the past 20 years.
Two patients in King County with H1N1 “Swine” flu have been found to have been infected with a strain of the virus that is resistant to the flu drug Tamiflu. Tamiflu, whose chemical name is oseltamivir, is one of the two drugs recommended for the treatment of H1N1 infections. The other drug, zanamivir, is marketed [...]
Seattle’s record heat wave has contributed to the death of a Seattle man, King County officials said Thursday. The man, in his 60s, had a heart condition that may have made him more vulnerable to the effects this week’s high temperatures in the Seattle area, officials said.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
View Calendar
✔ Subscribe
Add to Google
Seattle Times Health News
Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
Recent Comments