Public Health-Snohomish County
Posted by Gary O'Rielly
on Jul 21, 2015
This week's topic was public health in Snohomish County given by Dr. Gary Goldbaum, Director and Health Officer of the Snohomish County Health District. The Health District serves more than 730,000 residents of Snohomish County. The community is our client according to Dr. Goldbaum. The goal of the department is to have a healthy place to live, work and play. This requires their continued dedication to promoting healthy habits, preventing illness due to communicable disease, protecting our food, water and environment from health threats.
Public Health is our advocate affecting change across local, state and federal levels. Their best defense is monitoring and preventing diseases. As first responders they are prepared for emergencies of any kind. Like a coach, they assess local issues and develop strategic actions. For Snohomish County to have Peace of Mind, the health agency ensures that the food, water, land, air and environment are safe. To have a health start, the health agency provides the best possible start possible for our youth and community.
Public health is our advocate. Working together, we can do great things for our communities. The agency needs our help in supporting and sustaining our work for healthy people and healthy environments in Snohomish County. They are a strategic ally in policy planning and grant opportunities. They are resources for public health updates at City council meetings and a partner interested in our ideas and funding options.
Gary Goldbaum has been the Health Director since 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine (1978) and the University of Washington School of Public Health (1989). Dr. Goldbaum has been certified by the American Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Following his Family Medicine training in Massachusetts, he was in solo practice in Vermont from 1981 to 1984, after which he worked with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention from 1984-1987. He was the Health Officer for Thurston and Skagit counties (Washington State) from 1987 to 1989, served in multiple leadership roles at Public Health – Seattle & King County from 1989 to 2007, saw patients at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from 1989 to 2007, and directed the University of Washington Preventive Medicine Residency from 1992 to 2002.
Dr. Goldbaum has conducted research at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Washington State Department of Health, and local public health agencies in Washington State. He holds appointments as Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Services at the University of Washington. He has also served on the Boards of the Snohomish County Medical Society and Project Access Northwest, and on the Nursing and Health Studies Advisory Board of the University of Washington—Bothell, and currently serves on the steering committees of the Snohomish County Health Leadership Coalition and the North Sound Accountable Community of Health.
Thank you Dr. Goldbaum for your presentation!