Dear Members,

We are very pleased with the news from Executive Dow Constantine’s office last week announcing a proposal that will preserve King County’s vital public health clinics, services, and staff as part of his 2025 budget through the introduction of a new taxing authority affiliated with Harborview Medical Center.

Since the first announcement of potential cuts and closures last year, we have been working in coalition with other unions, community groups, and the County to advocate for the needs of our most vulnerable populations, and to demonstrate the tremendous loss to the community that these closures would have. You gathered over 2,000 signatures on our petition to save the clinics. You shared your expertise and experience with lawmakers to help them understand what was at stake. You spoke with your friends, family, and the press to ensure that the public was aware of this community crisis. And our voices were heard.

We are proud to say - and it was in no small part through these actions and your advocacy - that the clinics will continue operations and staffing throughout the next year, as next steps are further developed.

The new taxing authority was passed through the Washington Legislature in early 2024 to allocate dedicated funds to Harborview through a property tax Levy. This legislation was included as part of Executive Constantine’s budget proposal this week. If passed by the County Council, a portion of those funds will be directly allocated to support King County Public Health clinics and services.

While this funding mechanism includes a series of steps before it becomes a long-term solution, we are optimistic that we can find a way forward through new collaborative efforts between our unions, the County, and Harborview Medical Center. For now, we expect no layoffs in 2025, our clinics and staff will continue to be managed by King County, and most importantly, King County communities and clinic patients will be able to continue to utilize these vital services.

Thank you for your commitment to this work and your dedication to making King County a place where all residents are supported and cared for. We will continue to keep you posted as more advocacy and efforts are needed.

In solidarity,

The Unions of the Save Public Health Coalition: OPEIU8, PROTEC17, WSNA

Questions?  Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Linda Burbank at lburbank@wsna.org.