““I think the general public is not clear what public health does,” Lindquist said.”

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/aug/30/kitsap-health-district-tests-name-change/

Perhaps that is because the public health department does not seem to know what their job is.

It’s kind of confusing when our health department spends public money to teach one small ethnic group how to get assistance in our area and how to speak English yet refused to give Spirometry tests to the public every time I asked.

The fact is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. is COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and our own public funded health department doesn’t seem to notice that early detection could cut that rate by half – or more.

Our PUBLIC FUNDED health department refused to give early detection Spirometry testing for a disease rapidly increasing and expected to become the 3rd leading cause of death by 2020.

COPD kills across the ethnic board and includes ALL ethnic backgrounds.

Funny thing – here in Kitsap County the health department chose to spend money on teaching English to only one small ethnic group until they ran out of public funds.

Change the Kitsap County Health Department name? Why?

Dr. Lindquist, serve the county…all of us… and think of ways to offer Spirometry testing to the public across all ethnic backgrounds, English speaking or not, for early COPD) detection.

November is COPD Month. Worldwide, Wednesday, 17 November is COPD Day. What does Dr. Lindquist have in mind to do for the public?

Please.

Dr. Lindquist, haven’t you watched enough COPDers do the long slow smother knowing a simple, inexpensive Spirometry test for early detection could save future lives and millions of dollars?

More later… Sharon O’Hara