WA state forces Tri-Cities health board to make a major change

The Benton Franklin Health District is accepting applications to add members of the public to its board under a new requirement mandated by the Washington state Legislature.

Now the board is made up of the three Benton County and the three Franklin County commissioners.

But after turmoil at some health districts across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, including resistance to mask mandates and the bullying of health officials, the Legislature passed a bill in 2021 mandating that boards like the one in Tri-Cities have more diverse members as a way to promote equity in health policies.

Among recent controversies of the Benton Franklin Health District Board was a board vote prohibiting the staff from making social media posts in June for Pride Month after the board had told staff to take down a post in June 2022 that gave the history of Pride Month.

Each of three proposed posts for June 2022 — two for Facebook and one for Instagram — relied on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the American Psychological Association.

After the decision, staff members got complaints from the public who said that the district was responsible to advocate for and serve the health needs of all residents.

At another board meeting, 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.

The new board members must include at least one person with a medical background and three others who would bring perspective to the board from people using or otherwise depending on health district services.

Who can apply to board

One of the four new non-elected members of the Benton Franklin board will be appointed by the American Indian Health Commission.

The Benton Franklin Health District administration will rank and recommend candidates for the other three public positions on the board, with the guidance of a local committee created to implement the new state requirement.

The current district board of county commissioners will have the final say on who is picked for the three positions.

Those selected must be from categories that the district described as people with a “public health or healthcare mindset.” They include:

▪ 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.

The health district plays a leadership or management role in a wide array of public health matters.

They include controlling communicable diseases; injury and chronic disease prevention; assessing the health of populations; planning for public health emergencies; help for new mothers and young children; refugee health screening; food safety, such as restaurant inspections; environmental issues, such as permits for septic systems; and maintaining birth and death records.

The four new board members would serve two-year terms as unpaid members and would be allowed to vote on all matter that come before the board, with the exception of setting or changing fees.

When they are added to the board, the number of county commissioners on the board will drop to four, making the number of public and elected officials on the board equal.

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.