CONTACT:    Renae Miller, Public Information Specialist, Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, (360) 463-0362 or renae.miller@co.thurston.wa.us

Youtube Video: Board of Health and Treatment Sales Tax Advisory Committee Recruitment Meeting

OLYMPIA – The Thurston County Board of Health (BoH) is accepting the first round of applications to fill three community member positions on the expanded BoH. The Thurston County BoH oversees efforts to improve the public's health by providing leadership shaping the Public Health and Social Services Department's approach to public health policies and programs. The board works to ensure conditions, where children and families develop, are safe and healthy, so residents can grow into productive members of the community, thereby reducing future impact on the criminal justice and other systems.

The BoH is looking for three community members who represent the following criteria:

• Dedicated to representing public health, health care facilities, providers, and consumers of public health
• Represents community stakeholders. A community stakeholder can be a resident, business owner, teacher, member of a community organization, or more
• A consumer of public health, which consists of county residents who have self-identified as having faced significant health inequities or as having lived experiences with public health-related programs
• Able to commit to eight to ten, two-hour meetings per year and serve a staggered three-year term

Background
On April 19, 2022, the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance to expand the BoH from three members to eight members. The expansion of the BoH was adopted to comply with the new law enacted by House Bill 1152, which calls for the establishment of comprehensive public health districts across the state.

The BoH is the supervisory body for public health in Thurston County as outlined in Chapter 70.05 RCW. Members of the board will not receive compensation or reimbursement of expenses for the performance of their duties.

How to Apply
Interested applicants may submit an application to Jamie Caldwell, Clerk of the Board of Health, at jamie.caldwell@co.thurston.wa.us by noon on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, for consideration. The BoH will review applications. The BoH expects to hold interviews with the applicants at the Board of Health meeting Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

For more information, visit: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/board-county-commissioners/bocc-expansion-information/boh-expansion

Treatment Sales Tax – The Thurston County Treatment Sales Tax (TST) Advisory Committee is also seeking additional advisory committee members. TST is a 1/10 of 1% sales tax collected in Thurston County. TST works alongside federal and state funding, such as Medicaid, to meet mental health and substance use needs of Thurston County residents.

The TST Advisory Committee is a group of nine volunteers appointed by the BoCC. The committee is recruiting diverse membership to assist in recommending how to spend funds for behavioral health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment assistance. Its primary role is to make non-binding recommendations to the BoCC regarding the use of TST funds. TST-funded programs serve individuals with behavioral health and substance use challenges, including people involved in the justice system, youth, and families. The committee also works to identify gaps in the local behavioral health system, promote collaboration, and review program data.

The TST Advisory Committee is seeking members who are:

• Thurston County residents
• Not interested in receiving TST funds or have conflicts of interest
• Able to commit the time to meet eight to ten times per year and serve a staggered three-year term

Thurston County community members interested in applying for the Treatment Sales Tax (Behavioral Health Fund) Advisory Committee, can find available applications at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/tst-advisory-committee or by contacting the TST Program Manager at TST@co.thurston.wa.us. Applications are due by noon on Friday, December 1, 2023.

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