New perspective desperately needed on Tri-Cities’ public health board. Please step up

Washington state’s efforts to take politics out of community health care decisions is at a critical point in Benton and Franklin counties.

Finally, applications are open to those interested in serving on the Benton Franklin Health District Board. And it’s crucial that Tri-Citians — from all walks of life — step up to fill these new openings.

If only a handful of citizens show interest, then the goal of bringing diversity to the health district board could easily fail.

Currently, the board is made up of the three Benton and three Franklin county commissioners.

Not one of them is an expert in health care.

In order to bring balance and fresh perspectives to county health care leadership, a new state law requires adding more voices to health district boards.

Specifically, there must be an equal number of non-elected and elected officials in charge.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that sound medical advice from health care professionals was at risk of being dismissed by politicians who were against mask and vaccine mandates.

This was happening all around the state and not only in the Mid-Columbia.

In Spokane County, health officer Dr. Bob Lutz was fired in May 2021. At the time, he said through his attorney that he believed his termination was politically motivated in retaliation for unpopular COVID-19 decisions, according to the Spokesman-Review.

In the Tri-Cities, Dr. Amy Person was under constant criticism for making decisions that aligned with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and state health officials.

There was even a petition launched to try and oust her, which fortunately failed.

She should have had more support from her own health district board. But earlier this year, Benton County Commissioner Will McKay and Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier said they wanted to look at challenging state COVID-19 mask mandates.

The issue was dropped after attorneys cautioned against the health board filing a lawsuit to overturn mandates, including the requirement for masks in schools, saying it would be expensive and the likelihood of winning would be small.

Person was challenged often by Didier and McKay over the effectiveness of masks, but she never wavered. Now, Washington state has hired her for a new position — regional medical officer for the state Department of Health.

We wish her well in her new position, and lament that she had to endure so much controversy and verbal abuse during the past two years in the Tri-Cities.

Just think how an expanded health board might have helped diffuse the anger and frustration that was often aimed her way.

That’s why this application process is so important. We need thoughtful people to help lead public health in our community, and now is the time for people to put themselves out there.

The new board must include at least one person with a medical background and three others who would bring a perspective from people who use or depend on health district services.

The pool of applicants should come from the following categories:

▪ Doctors, registered nurses, pharmacists, epidemiologists, dentist or other public health workers or health care providers. They may be active or retired.

▪ Consumers of public health, experience with health inequities or use of services such as food stamps; treatment programs; the state nutrition program for pregnant and new moms and children under 5; or a visiting nurse program for low-income, first-time mothers.

▪ Community members with an interest in health services; nonprofits working with people who face health inequities; businesses or business organizations; or active, reserve or retired members of the military.

With such broad qualifications, it would be a shame if only a small number of people applied to serve.

The application form is posted at bfhd.wa.gov. Click on “About Us” and then “Board of Health” and “Membership” in the drop-down menu.

If you have even an inkling, please consider submitting your name to this important post.

Public health officers should not have to navigate political minefields in order to do their jobs. The broader the views on our health district board, the better.

This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 12:25 PM.