Blogs

Jill Royston, student assistant specialist for NEWESD 101

Guest Contributor

As a substance use counselor in a local high school, I hear daily about the ways youth are using marijuana and the reasons they use. I have also heard an array of myths about the drug. Curious about what youth are saying? Here’s what I hear most often:

“Marijuana is an herb, it’s all natural, and it won’t hurt me.”
“Marijuana helps people with anxiety.”
“Everyone does it, so what’s the big deal?”

Under Washington State RCW 70.24.110, minors who are age 14 and over can give consent for STD diagnosis and treatment, which includes hepatitis B and HPV immunizations, without getting permission from a parent or guardian.

When the height of the travel season subsides with the start of school, every other year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases its annual Health Information for International Travel book (commonly called the Yellow Book) for healthcare professionals. This fully revised and updated resource codifies the U.S. government’s most current travel health guidelines, including pre-travel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy to reference maps, tables, and other charts.

Bob Lutz, MD, MPH joined SRHD as health officer in June 2017. No stranger to SRHD, Dr. Lutz served for eight years on the district’s Board of Health and is a practicing urgent care physician for Multicare Rockwood Clinic. In his role as health officer, he will provide leadership for the protection of public health, enforce public health regulation, and serve as an adviser to elected officials on community health and safety.

Syphilis is back. Cases of infectious syphilis continue to increase in Spokane County, a concerning trend first noted in 2015 when 28 cases of primary and secondary (P&S) cases were reported, a 154% increase over the previous year. In 2016, P&S cases increased still with 60 cases reported; the trend continues this year.