The Grays Harbor County Commissioners declared a local emergency today regarding the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic. The declaration is not a reflection of a worsening situation; rather it is an administrative action to increase the pool of available vaccinators and to provide staff with adequate flexibility to sustain a response to the H1N1 (swine) flu.

            County health officer Dr. John Bausher stated, “Today’s declaration is about ensuring access to additional resources, should we need them. There is no increased concern about the local H1N1 situation at this time.”

            The Grays Harbor County Public Health and Social Services Department has been responding to changes in the scope and spread of H1N1 since the outbreak began last spring. Current efforts includes a vaccine campaign for the county’s schools, getting health care providers connected to H1N1 vaccine supplies, and working to educate the public about preventing the spread of the flu.

Olympia, Wash. — In response to concerns raised by some insurance brokers, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is telling insurers not to use a common policy exclusion for “governmental actions” to deny claims if water releases from the Howard Hanson Dam flood parts of the Green River Valley.

“I strongly urge all companies to refrain from taking such a position,” Kreidler said in a letter sent to about 200 commercial insurers.

In this case, he said, such language doesn’t apply.

Many insurers use standardized policy language from the Insurance Service Organization. Such policies typically exclude “seizure or destruction of property by order of governmental authority.”

In the Green River Valley situation, the Army Corps of Engineers has said that it may have to release more water than usual from the Howard Hanson Dam, due to structural weaknesses discovered in the earthen dam. After heavy rains, the water released from the dam could cause flooding in the valley below the dam.

Aberdeen, WA - Everyone has heard that time heals all wounds, but the truth is that without advanced therapies, some wounds can take years and even decades to heal while others that do not respond to treatment may lead to amputation in extreme cases. In early November, Grays Harbor Community Hospital will open the Wound Healing Center on their East Campus to offer the community state-of-the-art specialized wound healing care.

 

"With the rising rate of diabetes, there is a great need for a specialized care center that can treat the ulcers associated with the disease as well as help patients with other skin, bone and tissue conditions caused by illness or injury," says Thom Hightower, GHCH’s Chief Clinical Officer. "The center's doctors and clinical staff are skilled in the latest therapeutic methods in wound management and stay abreast of leading information through continuous training. Patients will be treated with state-of-the art technology from having their progress charted through digital photographs to, in some cases, being treated in the center’s two hyperbaric oxygen chambers."

Aberdeen, WA –  Misty Campbell, RN, has joined the Wound Healing Center at Grays Harbor Community Hospital as its clinical nurse manager. Scheduled to open in November at 1006 North H Street in Aberdeen, the Wound Healing Center will specialize in the treatment of chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions.