Peacehealth Union Vote Next Week, WSF Electrification, WA’s $5M Youth Homeless effort, Support Homeless Resident through an App, Avian Flu on the rise in Washington
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, August 16th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Peacehealth Union Vote Next Week
Caregivers at Peacehealth in Skagit and Whatcom Counties will vote on whether to unionize next week.
Workers filed to join the Union of American Physicians and Dentists in July, citing increased pressures from management to fit more patients into their schedules, in order to boost revenue.
In a press release, UAPD reported issues with Peacehealth cutting outpatient care, closing some of the clinics and laying off providers.
Peacehealth responded in their own press release stating that they are committed to providing adequate care and compensation for their employees, but would prefer to work with their care providers directly, rather than have a union middleman.
Physician assistants, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives will receive ballots on August 21st, with votes being counted on September 18th. Only providers offering non-acute care are eligible to join UAPD. Those who work in PeaceHealth’s hospitals are excluded.
STORY: WSF ELECTRIFICATION
Yesterday the Washington State Ferries awarded its first shipyard contract to convert up to three Jumbo Mark II-class ferries to hybrid-electric power.
The Seattle-based industrial manufacturing company, Vigor, won the contract with a bid of just over 150 million dollars.
The contract is part of the Washington State Ferries electrification program, which plans to spend nearly 4 billion dollars to build 16 new hybrid vessels, and add electric charging to ferry terminals. The project will also retire 13 diesel ferries and retrofit six diesel vessels to hybrid electric.
Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions among Washington state agencies, according to the Washington Department of Transportation. The fleet burns 19 million gallons of diesel fuel to support tens of millions of passengers every year.
The Jumbo Mark II ferries contribute 26 percent of the fleet’s greenhouse gas emissions. When terminals are electrified in 2026, emissions from the three vessels will drop by roughly 95%, according to Matt von Ruden, System Electrification Program Administrator for the DOT.
STORY: WA’s $5M youth homelessness effort
Washington’s policies to prevent youth and young adult homelessness are considered among the best in the country, according to the National Homelessness Law Center
However, a June report published by the Department of Social and Health Services showed that nearly 15% – or about 11 hundred young people who left state systems between July 2020 and June 2021 were homeless a year later.
This includes youth leaving foster care, the juvenile justice system and inpatient behavioral health treatment.
Last March, the Legislature passed House Bill 1905 allocating 5.4 million dollars to four initiatives aimed at reducing youth homelessness.
The bill funds existing non-profit organizations that provide support services and established the Youth and Young Adult Housing Response Team, aimed at implementing a referral system, which would help young people find housing.
The legislation does not address persistent racial iniquities. The report by DSHS showed an increase in homelessness among young people who identified as Black, Latino and American Indian since 2017. LGBTQ+ youth are also overrepresented among homeless youth.
STORY: Support Homeless Residents through an App
PeaceHealth and Northwest Youth Services have partnered with the Seattle-based company Samaritan to expand an app to support unhoused individuals in Bellingham.
The app, called Samaritan, allows people to volunteer their support through financial means, or words of encouragement. Samaritan is now expanding into Bellingham, having already been active in Seattle with over 1000 users.
According to a news release from Samaritan, users of the apps are provided with case managers to help identify current needs and plan out action steps. Community members are invited to help through donations to fill those needs, or voice support and encouragement as the user takes steps towards their goals. Unhoused app users have reported better access to care, housing, and employment within a year of receiving support. Monetary contributions are processed through case managers and local merchants.
Over 20 thousand dollars have been donated to the initial 40 sign ups in Bellingham. The program aims to raise 40 thousand dollars and expand membership by 2024.
STORY: Avian flu on the rise in WA
The new strain of the avian flu, H5N1 is spreading through Washington’s bird population. Wildlife officials are scrambling to test animals and clean up infected carcasses.
Historically the bird flu primarily affected poultry, however this new strain is spreading to wild birds like terns and gulls. The Department of Fish and Wildlife are still trying to gauge the extent of the disease.
The first case in Washington was reported in March of 2022 in Walla Walla County. Since then, 111 other cases have been confirmed. Rat Island near Port Townsend has been closed to the public due to a large suspected outbreak of the flu. Over 1300 corpses have been collected on the island alone.
This is the first H5N1 in a marine environment in Washington State and officials are concerned that the flu may spread to other animals, and possibly to people. A similar case of avian flu in Peru killed thousands of sea lions. Although there is a vaccine, it isn’t widely available for wildlife.
WX: Heat Advisory in Place
The National Weather Service extended its heat advisory warning for much of Washington, including Whatcom County. The warning will remain in effect until 11pm. Yesterday’s high reached 86 degrees, and today’s forecasted high in Bellingham is 82 with an overnight low of 61. Local libraries are available as cooling shelters during the day, as well as the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center in Maple Falls, and the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Myles Weber, Emma Toscani and Carlos Braga. Tune in to local news on KMRE weekdays at 3, 4 and 5 p-m. For news tips and feedback, send us an email at news@kmre.org or call 360-398-6150. KMRE is a nonprofit community radio station, powered by listener donations. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
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