Letter to the Editor: Donate Your Disbursement
Paulette writes about donating to Jefferson County Public Health.
By Paulette Dell’Ario, Port Townsend
Fellow Seniors,
This week my household received $180 from the Social Security Administration because we are on traditional Medicare. How does this make sense when funding for healthcare services has been severely cut at federal and state levels? I suggest that those of us who don’t really need the $90 assistance donate that amount to Jefferson County Public Health. Funds donated via Friends of Public Health (FOPH) (friendsofpublichealthjefferson.com) are used to supply direct health services to Jefferson County residents who are unable to pay for them.
Jefferson County Public Health cuts in 2026 were over $550,000. If you want to know what Public Health can do with $550,000, take a look at this from the FOPH website:
$20,000 ensures a generous sliding scale at the PH clinics so that those priced out of their health insurance can have their basic healthcare needs met.
$75,000 supports the basic operations of the school-based health clinics where most students in Jefferson County see their healthcare providers.
$35,000 supports keeping a mental health provider in the school-based health clinics.
If many of us donate our disbursements, we can make a real local impact.
(FOPH is a 501c3 operating under the Jefferson Community Foundation umbrella. The funds they raise move directly to the Jefferson County Washington Public Health Department for direct services.)
