Secretary of Health visits Moses Lake

Mary Selecky came as part of rural health care tour to cities throughout eastern Washington

MOSES LAKE — A growing population and recruitment of health care providers were two messages Secretary of Health Mary Selecky heard loud and clear when she came to eastern Washington last week for a rural health care tour.

Stopping in Moses Lake on Thursday and Friday for a meeting with members of the health care community and to tour the Healthy Communities Project, Selecky was accompanied by more than 20 other legislators from around the state.

Members of Gov. Chris Gregoire's office were among those present.

"You want to make sure the services are available to the people in the community," Selecky said.

Identifying the needs of communities across the state and the challenges they face was the purpose of the tour.

Selecky and legislative representatives also toured a clinic in Cle Elum, the Kittitas Valley Community Hospital in Ellensburg, Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello and hospitals in Ephrata and Quincy.

During Thursday evening's discussion public health officials and others from local hospitals, clinics and mental health agencies brought up challenges in recruiting physicians to small communities, concerns with malpractice tort reform and access to mental health services.

"I think it's important for elected officials to not just read about communities in a report, but to physically go there to put faces with names and to experience what they'll only find in a rural community," said David Olson, administrator with Moses Lake Clinic.

While in Moses Lake Friday, the tour group visited the Community Gardens and a portion of the activity paths and trails developed by the Trails Planning Team. Both are part of the Moses Lake Healthy Communities Project begun in 2002.

Ashley's Playground at McCosh Park, built handicap accessible, was also part of the tour.

What legislative representatives were most anxious to know was if the city has seen more people using the trails and paths since they were first developed, and what kind of partnerships have been established between the Healthy Communities Project and community organizations.

Healthy Communities Project organizers and others from the city did not have definite numbers on hand to answer those questions, but said it is evident people are more likely to make lifestyle changes if they have facilities to use.

"When you have a program like this that looks like it is doing well, you need the data to back it up," said Richard Curtis, a representative from the 18th Legislative district.

Curtis said in Seattle there are employers who have implemented new health care programs for employees which have helped to reduce health care costs.

City Manager Joe Gavinski said as a result of Healthy Communities the city has started to revise its subdivision and building standard, allowing for wider sidewalks and room for walking trails and paths to be conveniently located in and around developments.

Most impressive to Executive Policy Advisor Mark Rupp with the Governor's Executive Policy Office was how much Moses Lake has accomplished.

"Moses Lake has done so much in such a short amount of time," Rupp said. "Moses Lake I think is a model for communities throughout the state."