Drafter
Clerk 11/12/2020
Title
A RESOLUTION encouraging the Washington state Legislature to address racism as a public health crisis including funding for Foundational Public Health Services and other vital policy strategies.
Body
WHEREAS, racism is ingrained in our institutions, policies and practices and has harmful impacts that unfairly disadvantage Black, Indigenous and People of Color ("BIPOC") and unfairly advantages people who are perceived as white, and
WHEREAS, institutional racism creates differential access to opportunities and resources, and causes disparate outcomes across the social determinants of health including education, access to jobs, earning power, adequate and safe housing, higher rates of policing and involvement in the criminal legal system and overall quality of life, and
WHEREAS, decades of data collected by Public Health - Seattle & King County have demonstrated how BIPOC communities experience adverse health outcomes that are both acute, such as maternal and infant mortality and gun violence, and chronic, such as higher rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, maternal and infant mortality, underweight babies and shorter overall life expectancy, and
WHEREAS, BIPOC communities are experiencing disproportionate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, including higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death, as well as economic impacts including job losses and limited opportunities for remote work, and
WHEREAS, on June 18, 2020, the Board of Health passed Resolution 20-08 declaring racism a public health crisis and committing to work to advance a public health approach in addressing institutional and systemic racism, and
WHEREAS, in 2008 the King County executive joined with Public Health - Seattle & King County to launch the Equity and Social Justice Initiative, and later in 2010 the King County council passed equity and social justice ordinance, and now the current Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan leads with rac...

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