Health Care

Health

As WA lawmakers consider a safe staffing bill, nurses warn of crisis conditions and risks to patients

'It's really important that we do have this safe staffing standard because adding more patients to the nurse's workload is literally hurting patients every single day. It's not good for them.'

Health

'The worst' it's been: Covid hospitalizations reach all-time high in Washington state

Since the highly-infectious omicron variant was discovered in Washington state last month, health officials have warned that a surge in cases could cause hospitals to become severely overwhelmed. Health care workers say that moment is now here.

‘The situation is dangerous.’ Parents sound alarm over troubled in-home care provider

Mysterious bruises. An unreported burn. Two vulnerable clients left alone overnight. These are just some of the complaints that families are leveling against Aacres WA — a troubled residential care provider that gets tens of millions of dollars a year from the state to care for people with developmental disabilities. Now state officials say they’re investigating.

Inslee offers support for temporary delay in new payroll tax for long-term care program

Washington Governor Jay Inslee says he would support a short-term delay in the implementation of a new payroll tax on workers. That tax is scheduled to take effect in January. It will fund a first-in-the-nation long-term care insurance program called WA Cares. Concerns have been raised about details of how the program will work.

Environment

Flooding, COVID-19, and Thanksgiving preparation, this week.

Bill Radke reviews the week's news with Northwest News Network and KUOW correspondent Anna King, Freelance Science Reporter Jane C Hu and The Stranger staff writer Jas Keimig.

Education

The election, school closures, and mascots, this week

Bill Radke discusses the week's news with Washington State Wire CEO and publisher D.J. Wilson, The Everett Herald Young Cities reporter Isabella Breda, and Crosscut city politics reporter David Kroman.

Health

Two best friends walk into a pharmacy for their Covid vaccines

The Pfizer covid vaccine is approved for everyone older than five. Now vaccine appointments around Seattle are filling up with small kids as parents work to inoculate their entire households. Health experts say vaccinating kids is an important step to slowing the spread of the disease, while some kids say it’s important so they can get back to doing fun stuff again.