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You’ve probably heard of THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the cannabis compound that is responsible for the “high” with cannabis use. But, THC is just one of 80 different “cannabinoids,” or natural chemical compounds in the cannabis plant that interact with the body’s central nervous system

Climate change is today’s theme for National Public Health Week to draw attention to one of the greatest threats to public health. Our Climate Health Action Team created this comic with Seattle artist Mita Mahato to illustrate how climate change is already having serious impacts on our health here in King County and what we can do to prevent further harm. For more information about the health impacts of climate change on people in our region and the role of public health in addressing climate change, our Climate Health Action Team has published a Blueprint for Addressing Climate Change and Health. The comic was developed by the Climate Health Action Team, Public Health – Seattle & King County with artwork by Mita Mahato and writing by Meredith Li-Vollmer.

Six months ago, after the release of the comprehensive Fourth National Climate Assessment, I wrote about the many harmful health effects due to climate change that we are currently experiencing and that we can expect to increase, such as longer and more severe pollen and allergy seasons; increases in asthma, cardiac and lung disease; food-, water- and vector-borne infections; and injuries and mental health effects from extreme weather events. As public health professionals, we should follow the lead of the American Public Health Association, the American College of Physicians and other public health and medical professional organizations and prioritize action to help our communities adapt to and prepare for the impacts of climate change. Key areas for public health professionals to focus on include continuing to use science to inform decision making, educating other health professionals, students, the public, and elected officials about the health impacts of climate change, conducting vulnerability assessments in our communities for climate-related health risks, establishing surveillance systems to monitor the health impacts of climate change, facilitating steps to adapt to and prepare for the current and anticipated impacts of climate change in our communities, as well as identifying and supporting actions needed to prevent further climate warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As Public Health Week 2019 comes to a close, I hope that in the coming year, public health and health care professionals can galvanize together in collaboration with our communities to make meaningful progress on the urgent threat of climate change.

As King County’s population and housing costs have risen steeply, many people of color and lower income families in King County have migrated to south Seattle and south King County, with the most vulnerable populations at risk of being priced out of the county all together. This work will be directed by the King County Racial Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (KC REACH) initiative, led by Public Health – Seattle & King County, Healthy King County Coalition, and Seattle Children’s and funded via a five-year REACH grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Building on decade-long collaborations, KC REACH has partnered with community organizations and coalitions that have significant experience working in these communities, including Global to Local/Food Innovation Network, Northwest Harvest, Transportation Choices Coalition, International Community Health Services, and the Somali Health Board and other community health boards, to guide the work. Creating group purchasing agreements among small grocers, farm stands, and emergency food providers such as food banks to bring healthier foods to communities at a lower cost * Helping emergency food providers such as food banks offer healthy and culturally appropriate foods * Providing breastfeeding education and support groups to new African American mothers sensitive to the historical and current systemic and cultural barriers they face