Firland Northwest Tuberculosis Center

09/29/2016

RIP David Park ... I'm having a hard time trying to find the words through the tears... I'm so glad you were surrounded by your family in these final hours... your amazing wife who you adore so much, and your kids who you are so incredibly proud of... You told me once, the great thing about having cancer is you get to spend a lot more time with your family and not feel guilty about blowing off work!

You were not only a boss but became a second dad to me upon moving to Seattle. I am extremely grateful to have been able to work so closely with such a talented and well respected doctor, but above and beyond that you took me in as one of your own, let me house sit in your gorgeous home after seeing my tiny shoe box of an apartment in Fremont, invited me to events and dinners with your wife, and the very most special thing to me... you came to our wedding in Walla Walla, even though you were very sick, even though you couldn't drive, even though Julie couldn't drive you since she was on service, you still made it happen. That meant the WORLD to me, and it always will. I'm so glad you and my dad were able to bond over a fly fishing trip right after that! After that trip, my dad told me if I hear one more time how amazing you're doing at work I'm gonna puke! Thanks for being my forever supporter and cheerleader, Dave.

Your humor is one of a kind, and though it got you in trouble from time to time, I ALWAYS found you incredibly hilarious. Even when you put your head on my belly, during a training in front of a room full of colleagues, and asked if I was pregnant. No Dave, I've just gained weight recently... Ha! But more importantly, your kindness was unprecedented... It is SO obvious on your caring bridge site how many lives you have touched, and I'm sure that's just the tip of the ice berg. I'm so glad we were able to have one last meeting with you in Ballard a few weeks ago.

The Firland Northwest Tuberculosis Center will definitely not be the same without you... you leave a huge gap that no one else will ever fill. But we will keep doing the good work we do in your honor, and it will motivate me even more to work my hardest for a center that was your dream and vision for ten years in the making before it officially happened three years ago when I came on board.

You have taught me sooooooooooo many things, but the most important lesson I've learned from you is simple. How to be a good person.

All my love to you and your family...

08/29/2016

FANTASTIC LETTER TO THE EDITOR - brief but to the point, from Teresa Rugg, my passionate colleague at TB Photovoice!!! It will take you thirty seconds - please read:

"Timing is everything. About 140 cancer patients may have been exposed to tuberculosis by a health-care worker who was diagnosed with an active case of the disease. [“140 cancer patients may have been exposed to TB,” Local News, Aug. 17].

First and foremost, may we all send our healing thoughts and compassion to the person who merely breathed in the TB bacteria at some point in their life. Aside from the long, grueling and antiquated treatment process, TB survivors I have worked with have voiced their concerns about receiving greater psychosocial support to end the global stigma associated with this disease. So let’s support everyone who is impacted by TB so they can be cured, just as we bring optimism to those fighting cancer.

Yet, this situation is happening at the same time that the U.S. Senate is proposing a $5 million cut from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. If Public Health – Seattle and King County needs assistance from the national level, the CDC is exactly where funding would come from. Now is not the time to reduce our support for tuberculosis in the U.S. or abroad."

Teresa Rugg, Snohomish, TB Photovoice Director

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/tuberculosis-underlining-the-need-for-federal-funding/?zbrandid=3132&zidType=CH&zid=37326056&zsubscriberId=824941976&zbdom=http://iz3.me

Timing is everything. About 140 cancer patients may have been exposed to tuberculosis by a health-care worker who was diagnosed with an active case of the disease. ....

05/12/2016

FANTASTIC NEWS - the board meeting went well last night, and we have secured one more year of funding at a 10% reduced rate! Spending is going to be tight, but I'm thrilled that our Center's activities will continue with very little disruption. I work with the best team ever; I was really going to be sad to have to leave this job.

We greatly appreciate everyone who donated and who "liked" the post to help spread it to a wider audience. The board was very impressed with our ability to raise a substantial amount of funds in a short period of time. So thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Sincerely,

Jessica Matthews, MPH
Center Coordinator

05/10/2016

Dear Firland Northwest Tuberculosis Center Supporters,

LAST CHANCE!!! In case you missed this post a few days ago... PLEASE "LIKE" SO IT GAINS A WIDER AUDIENCE VIEW!!! The board meeting is tomorrow evening... And please read to the end, even if you're unable to donate at this time. Thanks so much!

Please consider donating by tonight, if possible, to the Firland Northwest Tuberculosis Center. Even if it's just $5 or $10, I would very much appreciate it. I know many of you get asked for donations from a variety of reputable organizations who do worthwhile work, and it's often very difficult to choose, especially if you don't have much to give. I understand this all too well, after years of living on an extremely tight budget and always wanting to give more.

I really, truly believe we do great work. I'm not just saying this because my job is on the line, and we're in fear of losing our funding on May 10th. I'm saying this because I've seen the real impact our work has on people's lives.

If you're not very familiar with how devastating tuberculosis can be, please take a moment to watch a few short video clips that one of our partner organizations produces, TB Voices Project:

http://www.tbvoicesproject.com/lynda

Take Lynda, for example. Her boyfriend died of tuberculosis, and she was in dire straits. "I was even trying to hide from the Snohomish Health District when I had TB and they found me. I tried the treatment for a while and I just kept getting sicker and sicker. They saved my life. The Snohomish Health District wasn’t going to get their hands off of me, which is good. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. Every time I go in there, I just say “thank God.” I’m just so grateful for the Snohomish Health District.”

Through a variety of projects, our work disseminates best practices for clinical care, supports clinical research projects, and provides educational opportunities that enhance the skills of doctors, nurses, and community health workers who practice direct patient care with people like Lynda.

Through Project TB ECHO (learn more on our website: https://depts.washington.edu/fnwtbc/tb-echo), we work directly with Snohomish Health District to train their staff, as well as staff in over 15 other county health departments and dozens of primary care clinics throughout WA state. Additionally this project recently expanded to include provider training in Idaho and Oregon. Our hope, and with your help, is to expand to Alaska; the state with the highest rates of TB infection in the nation (http://www.adn.com/article/20140525/alaska-again-leads-nation-tuberculosis-infection-rate).

To learn more please explore our website (https://depts.washington.edu/fnwtbc/), watch more videos on the TB Voices Project website (http://www.tbvoicesproject.com/alice-brannman/), and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions at jrose4@uw.edu.

The more small donations we can acquire before the May 10th board meeting, the more we'll be able to prove that we deserve another year of funding. We are proposing a 10% reduction in our annual budget to hopefully save us from being cut completely. Thank you for considering a modest to generous donation. All donations are tax deductible! We greatly appreciate anything you are able to offer.

https://depts.washington.edu/fnwtbc/support-us

Sincerely,

Jessica Matthews, MPH
Center Coordinator
Firland Northwest Tuberculosis Center
jrose4@uw.edu

In 1993, Lynda and her boyfriend were diagnosed with TB. She began taking medication, but the negative side effects made her feel so sick that she stopped and began hiding from the Snohomish Health District employees who were managing her care. Once found, she was homeless and extremely ill with ev...

04/08/2016

Funny moment in a panel presentation: "It's not the Georgia elimination project, it's the Georgia *Hepatitis C* elimination project. Some countries would like to eliminate Georgia, but not the United States."

~Dr. Sanjeev Arora

04/08/2016

Our very own, Kenton Unruh, PhD, from University of Washington breaks it down.

04/08/2016

University of Washington's very own John Scott, MD alongside Bruce Strumminger, MD discussing the first ECHO in Africa- in Namibia. Inspiring and exciting!!

04/08/2016

Inspiring story by community health worker champion, Venice Ceballos

04/07/2016

Dr. Sanjeev Arora continues to speak eloquently, humbly, and with so much passion.

04/07/2016

Dr. Sanjeev Arora gives an inspiring opening remarks speech at the MetaECHO 2016 Conference in Albuquerque

04/07/2016

Dr. Sanjeev Arora gives an inspiring opening remarks speech at the MetaECHO 2016 Conference in Albuquerque

02/27/2016

https://www.facebook.com/jrosematthews/posts/10156518988330317

“WA state TB ECHO poster presentation - WA DOH and FNWTBC collaboration in action ”