Drafter
Clerk 04/04/2005
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A MOTION approving the progress report on the creation of the regional health partnership.
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WHEREAS, health care costs in this country are skyrocketing, approaching a national crisis, and
WHEREAS, King County is, like other employers in the region, state and nation, facing an urgent need to be able to provide affordable, available quality health care to employees while effectively containing the rise in employee health care costs, and
WHEREAS, in the 2004 budget address the county executive announced the formation of a task force to recommend workable solutions that go beyond cost shifts and reduction of benefits, and
WHEREAS, in December of 2003, King County executive Ron Sims created the health advisory task force, whose mission is to "recommend an innovative and achievable set of strategies to improve the quality of health care while mitigating costs in the Puget Sound market," and
WHEREAS, on June 14, 2004, the King County health advisory task force under the leadership of Alvin J. Thompson, M.D., and Edward Wagner, M.D., submitted its consensus recommendations to the county executive, and
WHEREAS, its recommendations acknowledged that enough is known in the fields of science, finance and actuarial risk, public health, technology, quality measurement, health-seeking behavior, health care delivery and quality improvement to achieve better care, healthier people and affordable costs, and
WHEREAS, the task force recommended a regional partnership to activate its recommended strategy, and
WHEREAS, the county executive has approved its recommendations including strong county participation in the development of the regional partnership, and
WHEREAS, the council overwhelmingly approved the task force's final findings report via Motion 12023, and
WHEREAS, the council approved funds to support the proposed regional partnership, now called the Puget Sound Health Alliance, recommended in the final report of the task force, and for the funds to be matched by other partnership members, and
WHEREAS, funds allocated to support and implement the Puget Sound Health Alliance have enabled King County to hire additional staff to assist with development and informational activities related to the alliance in fall 2004 and spring 2005, and
WHEREAS, great progress has been made on the Puget Sound Health Alliance, an independent nonprofit organization with thirty-seven organizations as members;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The progress report of the regional partnership, the Puget Sound Health Alliance, included as Attachment A to this motion, is hereby approved.