The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week announced options for shortening the recommended 14-day quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19. The Washington State Department of Health adopted those options, and Clark County Public Health and other health departments across Southwest Washington are also adopting the options for people who do not live or work in high-priority settings.

The CDC, state Department of Health and Clark County Public Health continue to recommend that people who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 quarantine… Read More

During the holiday festivities, Clark County Solid Waste and Environmental Outreach encourages people to take steps to reduce their holiday waste.

Household waste in the U.S. increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Trash cans fill up with holiday food waste, shopping bags, bows and ribbons, packaging, and wrapping paper that contribute an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfill. But by taking a few simple steps to reduce, reuse and recycle, the holiday season can be a little greener.

The holidays may look different this year, with… Read More

Clark County’s Green Business program is hosting a virtual event on Dec. 8 for businesses to learn about the upcoming statewide plastic bag ban.

Beginning in 2021, single-use plastic carryout bags will be prohibited, and a fee will be charged for approved carryout bags at all retail, grocery and convenience stores. The ban also applies to restaurants offering takeout or delivery food or goods.

Shannon Jones, a materials management coordinator with the Washington Department of Ecology, will explain the purpose of the ban, the timeline for implementation, and the requirements… Read More

The Clark County Council is seeking applicants for two volunteer positions on the Solid Waste Advisory Commission.

One position represents north Clark County, and the other represents the county at-large. Applicants for the north Clark County position must live north of 179th Street or the extension thereof. The three-year terms begin Jan. 1, 2021. Upon expiration of a term, a member can apply again. There is no limit on how many terms a member can serve.

The commission advises the county council on solid waste issues, such as recycling, garbage collection, landfills,… Read More

Clark County Public Health continues to work through an influx of COVID-19 cases. Last week, more than 1,100 COVID-19 cases were reported in Clark County.

Last week, Public Health announced it was modifying its COVID-19 response to prioritize interviewing cases and identifying priority locations where exposures may have occurred. Public Health continues to work closely with priority locations, which include schools, long-term care facilities, the jail and food processing facilities, to prevent… Read More

Clark County’s Master Composter Recycler program is offering a series of free sustainable green living webinars this fall.

Here are the upcoming workshops:

• Green Cleaning: 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 18.
• Recycling Done Right: 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 25.
• Preventing Food Waste in the First Place: 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Dec. 2.

The green cleaning webinar teaches participants how to use environmentally friendly alternatives to common household cleaning products that may contain… Read More

In the last month, COVID-19 case numbers in Clark County have increased 50%, with more than 2,000 new cases reported in four weeks. In the last week, Clark County has averaged more than 100 cases per day. Today, Clark County announced 277 new cases.

The dramatic surge in cases has strained Clark County Public Health’s ability to quickly reach people who have tested positive for COVID-19. And that has impacted Public Health’s ability to identify and notify close contacts in a timely manner, which reduces the effectiveness of the contact tracing process.

As a result, Clark… Read More

Clark County Public Health launched a new online data exploration tool called the Healthier Clark County InfoMap. The interactive tool offers a new way of learning about health issues and how they impact people in Clark County. Through data visualized on maps and charts, users can explore how health and the circumstances and environments that influence health are distributed across the county.

“Public Health is excited to make health-related data more easily accessible to the community through the Healthier Clark County InfoMap online tool,” said David Hudson, Healthy Communities… Read More

Clark County Public Health is urging everyone to take steps to reduce their risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 this holiday season.

COVID-19 case numbers are increasing at an alarming rate in Clark County. Eight weeks ago, Clark County averaged 28 cases per day. Four weeks ago, we averaged 42 cases per day.

In the last week, we’ve averaged 116 cases per day, and this week our COVID-19 activity rate increased to more than 171 cases per 100,000 residents.

Public Health data shows that case numbers are increasing across age groups and demographics, with those… Read More

The Clark County Council is requesting applications for a volunteer position on the Mosquito Control District Board of Trustees.

The term for the at-large position begins Jan. 1, 2021 and runs through Dec. 31, 2022.

The Board of Trustees oversees the work of the Clark County Mosquito Control District. The board establishes policy, manages expenditures and approves contracts for services. Clark County Public Health provides administrative services for the district.

The Board of Trustees is comprised of one member from each city or town in Clark County and three at-… Read More