Curious Social Media Post from DOH Raises Questions?

(This piece is an assessment of content publicly released by the DOH, an op-ed piece)

We pay a lot of attention to what various state agencies churn out on social media. This week, one post from the Department of Health caught our eye.

DOH HAS A CLIMATE DIVISON?

DOH climate division (DOH facebook)

We all know during fire season, poor air quality creates alerts for those with respiratory issues. Excessive heat can create issues for the elderly who don't have proper AC.

But the Department of Health's post on Facebook made us look into it more. Under the heading "Department of Health's Role-Climate Change" we found these lines:

"Climate change is one of Governor Jay Inslee's top priorities.
Our Secretary of Health declared climate change a high priority for the Department of Health."

The Department goes on to list how they are responding to a Climate-Related Change Topic, namely wildfires. We all know they are deadly and in some cases preventable with proper forest and wildlands management with DNR has not done for years.

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It appears DOH is very close to skirting the line between public health and political advocacy. By assuming and accepting 100% the premise of climate change, they are, in a defacto way, acting as political agents for Inslee?

This is also from their website:

Our Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response added climate change to its mandate to make sure our state is better able to respond to any threat to the public's health. This office works to build and sustain the public health and medical emergency preparedness system and capabilities throughout Washington.

Their team focuses on "all-hazards" planning and capacity development, preparing for the types of situations expected from climate change, including natural disasters, major emergencies, and extreme weather events. Similar planning can be done by individuals, communities, and families. (bold lettering added for emphasis).

It appears when they're not busy bombarding citizens with vaccination messages, they are spending time being political activists for Gov. Inslee.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.