Public comment open until Sunday December 22nd!
The Bree Heat and Wildfire Smoke Draft Report and Guidelines are open for public comment until Sunday, December 22nd at 11:59PM! Please submit public comments through the link below. Questions welcomed at bree@qualityhealth.org.
Join our conversation
In person
If you are unable to join with the below options, there will be a physical space reserved in the Foundation for Health Care Quality’s Seattle office to participate in the virtual meeting at the below address:
Industrious 400U @ Rainier Square
400 University Street
Floor 3
Seattle, WA 98101
Online
Teams Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 249 510 157 982
Passcode: ouGohV
Updated Link for December 11th!
Meeting ID: 235 829 269 890
Passcode: xg9Mo36s
Background
Climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying with a direct regional health impact. Washington has seen an increase in climate related illnesses including such as hyperthermia and respiratory disease from short-term temperature increases and increased smoke exposure from wildfires. During the heat dome of 2021, over 400 Washingtonians lost their lives due to heat related illnesses. Extreme heat disproportionately impacts children, pregnant individuals, the elderly, outdoor and some indoor workers, people with disabilities, low-income communities and communities of color. Agricultural workers, construction workers, and electricity and pipeline utility workers are at increased risk for heat-related illness and deaths. Short and long-term heat exposure increases severe maternal morbidity (SMM). Wildfire smoke in 2020 was associated with approximately 92 more all-cause mortality cases, and those in Eastern and Central Washington were estimated to experience the highest per-capita mortality during the episode. Coordinated efforts across sectors are needed to prevent and respond to the health effects of extreme heat and wildfire smoke, including early detection and warning systems, preventative education and communication with communities at highest risk, home environment measures, and standardized clinical protocols for reducing risk related to heat and wildfire smoke.
| Next Meeting | Time | Materials |
| Dec 11th, 2024 | 3-4:30pm | Please see below |
Meeting Materials
| Date | Materials |
| January 10th, 2024 | |
| February 14th | February Agenda January Minutes Draft Focus Areas |
| March 13th | March Agenda February Minutes Draft Focus Areas |
| April 10th | April Agenda March Minutes April 10 Research |
| May 8th | May Agenda April Minutes |
| June 12th | June Agenda May Minutes Worksheet/Evidence Table/PSPS Notification |
| July 10th | July Agenda June Minutes SKC Heat Plan/SKC Wildfire Smoke Plan/Evidence Table |
| August 14th | August Agenda July Minutes |
| September 11th | September Agenda August Minutes Draft Guidelines |
| October 9th | October Agenda September Minutes Draft Guidelines |
| November 13th | November Agenda October Minutes Draft Report & Guidelines |
| December 11th | December Agenda November Minutes Checklist-Clinician/Checklist-Plans/Checklist-OutpatientClinic/Eval Plan/Eval Matrix |
| January 8th, 2025 | January Agenda December Minutes Materials |
Read our Charter.
Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Chris Chen, MD (Chair) | Medical Director for Medicaid | Washington HealthCare Authority |
| Brad Kramer, PhD | Program Manager | Public Health Seattle King County |
| Kristina Petsas, MD | Chief Medical Officer for Employer and Individual Plans | United Healthcare |
| Bre Holt | Senior Director Population Health | Comagine Health |
| Jessi Kelley | Research Coordinator | UW Collaborative for Extreme Event Resilience |
| Stefan Wheat, MD | Emergency Medicine Physician | UW |
| Raj Sundar, MD | Family Medicine Physician | Kaiser Permanente |
| Jessica Symank/Amy Anderson | Senior Director, Safety Quality and Rural Programs | Washington State Hospital Association |
| Kelly Naismith, MPH | Climate Change and Health Epidemiologist Supervisor | Washington Department of Health |
| LuAnn Chen, MD, MHS | Medical Director | Community Health Plan of Washington |
| June Spector, MD, MPH | Internal Medicine Physician/Scientist | Washington Labor & Industries |
| Mary Beth Bennett, MD | Pediatric Resident | Seattle Children’s |
| Seth Doyle, MA | Director of Strategic Initiatives/President of WAPH | Northwest Regional Primary Care Association/Washington Association for Public Health |
| Raymond Moeller, MD | Thurston County Medical Reserve Corps | |
| Yonit Yogev | Thurston County Medical Reserve Corps | |
| Brian Henning, MD | Director | Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment |
| Onora Lien | Executive Director | Northwest Healthcare Response Network |