In February the Healthcare Issues Team met with Mike Cohen, the Executive Director of the Bellingham Food Bank. He indicated that the Food Bank had two main roles: serving as a source of food for over 5,000 households a week, and serving as a hub for other smaller food banks in Whatcom County.
The Food Bank distributes food in several ways: through in-person shopping, a drive-through program, and a home delivery program. It prioritizes providing fresh, culturally relevant food. The Food Bank relies heavily on community donations. Increased need in the community (a 250% increase since 2021), while at the same time experiencing federal cuts to grants and access to USDA commodity foods, have made providing food more challenging. For more details or if you missed the meeting, a recording of the presentation is available on the LWVBWC website. Click on the Our Work tab and select Healthcare.
While on the Healthcare webpage, check out the links under the heading, Volunteers Observe Government Meetings on Healthcare, on the first section on the page. Learn about what actions and policies the local government is considering. Observers and members of the Healthcare Issues Team have been attending government meetings and reporting on the healthcare related issues that were discussed during the meetings. If you are interested, they can always use more help. Email healthcare@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org for more information.
The next meeting of the Healthcare Issues Team will be Monday, March 16th, 10:00 to 11:30 am. on Zoom. Maureen Brinck-Lund will join us to update us on what is happening with the Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC). In 2021 the Washington State Legislation passed legislation establishing the Commission. Its mission is to make recommendations for increasing access to quality, affordable healthcare in Washington State and to create a single-payer, universal healthcare system for all Washingtonians. HUX, a subcommittee of the organization Healthcare is a Human Right, is monitoring the work of the Commission. Maureen Brinck-Lund is a member of HUX. So, bring your questions.
By the time you read this, the legislative session will have ended. The last day is March 12th. It is too soon to count wins and losses. More information will be available soon. After the session has ended, I will send out information indicating how our legislators in LD 40 and LD 42 voted on healthcare issues.
As always, we welcome your suggestions for topics and/or speakers or anything else you want to share.
