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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for Health and Human Services

Volunteer drops off food at a church based food pantry

Best Practices When Contracting With Faith-Based Organizations

January 22, 2024  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Court Decisions and AGO Opinions ,  Health and Human Services

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, local agencies may want to review their contracting policies with respect to faith-based organizations. But, in the words of Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “Don’t Panic!”

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A voter putting their ballot into a mailbox

Recapping the February and April 2023 Ballot Measure Results

May 15, 2023  by  Steve Hawley
Category:  Elections ,  Fire Protection ,  Health and Human Services

Regional fire authorities, fire district mergers, hospital funding, and a regional crisis care center network were some of the local ballot measures that appeared before voters in the February and April special elections.

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Staying Ahead of Overdose Spikes

July 14, 2020  by  Leah LaCivita
Category:  Health and Human Services ,  Drug Possession and Use

This blog post looks at the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program, a free tool that collects real time fatal and non-fatal opioid overdose data from ambulance teams, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies across the country.  

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Promising Practices for Local Governments: Combating Elder Neglect, Short-Term Vacation Rental Compliance, Reducing Recidivism

December 19, 2019  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Courts and Criminal Justice System ,  Tourism ,  Health and Human Services

This post highlights promising practices for combating elder neglect, increasing compliance with short-term vacation rental regulations, and transitioning newly released inmates back into the community.

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Safe, Convenient Drug Disposal Coming Soon to Your Neighborhood

July 2, 2018  by  Leah LaCivita
Category:  Health and Human Services

ESHB 1047, or the Secure Drug Take-Back Act will bring a system of secure drug drop sites in every city and town across Washington for collection of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medicines by 2020. 

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Safe Injection Sites and the Opioid Crisis

September 21, 2017  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Health and Human Services

Claiming the lives of 142 Americans every day by drug overdose, the opioid crisis has been called a “Killer Drug Epidemic” and each level of government is reacting. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Flannary Collins gives a brief overview of the steps that federal, state, and local governments have taken so far to address this crisis. 

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The Gorillas in the Room

February 14, 2017  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Emergency Management ,  Health and Human Services

What does the Cascadia megaquake, the growing opioid crisis, and the lack of affordable housing all share in common? They can all be classified as "gorillas" in the room: big, overwhelming, and not about to go anywhere anytime soon.

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