Public health director seeks state emergency‑response support and funding for drinking‑water and syringe programs

KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — Kittitas County Public Health presented two agenda items Tuesday: an interagency agreement proposal with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to allow county staff to assist in state emergency responses, and an amendment to the county’s consolidated Department of Health contract to fund drinking‑water and syringe‑services/harm‑reduction programs.

Chelsea Lephurst, public health director, said the DNR agreement would “allow us to use our staff in their emergency response. It would be training time and experience for our local emergency response coordinator specifically and reimbursed by DNR.”

Later in the meeting Lephurst described Amendment 4 to the county’s consolidated contract with the Department of Health. “This is amendment 4 to our consolidated contract with the Department of Health. This supports our — it's our program funding for our drinking water programs and our syringe services program and harm reduction program from the state,” she said.

Both items were presented as staff recommendations or notifications; the transcript records the presentations but does not record votes or final contract executions during the meeting.

County staff identified these agreements as mechanisms to expand local emergency response capacity and to continue state‑funded public‑health programs.