Yakima Health District Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Breweries, Wineries In Tri-Cities And Yakima May Need To Close Under Clarified Reopening Guidance

By Courtney Flatt July 17, 2020

Old Schoolhouse Brewery owner Jacob Young serves food to his customers. He says when there's little smoke and fires are far away, he sees more patrons.CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT

Wineries and breweries in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties must keep their doors closed for now, unless they serve food out of their own kitchens. That’s the updated guidance for the three counties, which are seeing some of the highest numbers of coronavirus cases in Washington. Read More

Where To Get Masks And Testing In Yakima County As Coronavirus Cases Near 8K

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa July 7, 2020

A COVID-19 test kit. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has instructed state health officials to test all nursing home staff and residents in the coming weeks, according to a state doctor.

The county’s emergency management office has handed out more than 3 million pieces of protective equipment since March. That includes 770,000 masks to businesses, municipalities, and food banks and an additional 220,000 masks distributed to low-income residents. Read More

Yakima, Tri-Cities Eye Modified Phase 1, But ‘We Have To Remain Vigilant’ With Mask Use, Officials Say

By NWPB News July 2, 2020

Farmworkers in Yakima’s fruit-packing industry walked off production lines in May and went on strike, demanding more protections against the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Emmanuel Anguiano-Mendoza (left) and Agustin López hold posters featuring David Cruz, a worker who died on May 30. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

County officials in eastern Washington rushed applications to the state Thursday evening to reopen their economies. It came the same day Gov. Jay Inslee announced the state would approve their plans to reopen and put others on pause for two weeks. Read More

Central Washington Non-Profits Adjust To Provide Critical Spanish-Language Coronavirus Information

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa April 16, 2020

Non-profit adult education provider La Casa Hogar shifted operations online and canceled its 25th anniversary celebrations, scheduled in May, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, staff are working to ensure the immigrant community they serve is informed in Spanish on public health measures and resources to endure economic woes. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa / NWPB

News and information on the COVID-19 pandemic released by state and local governments is primarily in English. And though health districts and emergency management offices translate some of that information into Spanish, immigrant communities in places like the Yakima Valley still struggle to access that information. Read More

Yakima County Gets Stay-At-Home Order As President Trump Declares Emergency For Washington

By NWPB News March 22, 2020

Jess White, a registered nurse at UW Northwest, demonstrates to another nurse how to properly remove a mask on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at UW Medicine's drive-through testing clinic in Seattle. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Coronavirus continues to spread in Washington and Idaho. As of Sunday, March 22, Washington had nearly 2,000 confirmed cases, with at least 95 deaths since the outbreak began. Idaho’s official number stood at 47 cases, with most in Blaine County. Read More

New Map Shows Hotspots Of Environmental Health Hazards For Washington Neighborhoods

By Esmy Jimenez January 10, 2019

The Environmental Health Disparaties map shows concentrations of pollution combined with demographics to color code risk areas. CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPT. OF HEALTH

The Environmental Health Disparities Map ranks neighborhoods from 1 to 10. Ten is coded in red, meaning a higher environmental risk while 1, being the lowest, is coded in blue. On that map, Yakima County is a big, red blemish. Read More