P4 medicine why seattle is leading the charge

The rising cost of medications is paying for the billions of dollars drug companies are spending on lobbying, advertising and political-campaign contributions. It is time for Washington state to stand up for the health of its citizens. A plan to keep down the costs of critical medications for chronic illness by limiting the marketing tactics of all drug companies should be implemented — now. Furthermore, diabetes is but one of many chronic health issues requiring medication that affect the lives of so many Americans.

As a citizen of this state, and someone likely to know at least one person who is affected by a chronic illness faced with rising costs, you can do something. We need to enact legislation that caps the cost structure of these medications to benefit the consumer.

We should not be asking those with a chronic disease to mortgage their future by having to pay the price these companies demand. An undercover Seattle police officer, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, walked north on Third Avenue in Belltown.

Parked a couple blocks away, Sgt. Tom Yoon monitored the radio chatter as the buy-bust operation played out. The majority get a one-way ride to the King County Jail. Ryan Long can divert addicts and low-level dealers into an innovative program that represents a radical departure from the long prison sentences and court-ordered drug-treatment programs of the past 20 years.

In a break from the arrest-and-book status quo, the LEAD program cuts out the criminal-justice system and assigns participants to social workers. It is designed to offer immediate help — a hot meal, a warm coat, a safe place to sleep — as well as longer-term services for drug treatment, stable housing and job training.

The aim of LEAD is to remove frequent fliers — those constantly arrested and rearrested on drug charges — from the criminal-justice system, said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, whose office helped create the program.

No one has been voted out so far. Participants include a woman pregnant with twins who wants her sons to have childhoods far different from her own; and a former track star who squandered a dozen years on the streets but is now working to do right by his parents and 5-year-old daughter. In the early s, The Defender Association — a Seattle public-defense firm — began filing lawsuits that sparked heated court battles with the Seattle Police Department over allegations that selective enforcement in drug cases sent disproportionately high numbers of African Americans to prison.

Steve Brown to discuss a new approach to enforcing drug laws. Many of the planned events, including most exhibits and weekend gatherings, are free and open to the public. Hands-on activities for families and children will occupy Next 50 Plaza, located to the west of EMP Museum, along with several experiential exhibits in Next 50 Pavilion.

International Fountain Pavilion formerly Northwest Craft Center will house the history exhibits and a photographic exploration of young social entrepreneurs. Many of the evening and weekend events, including conferences, performances, speakers and film series, will be presented in the Intiman Playhouse. A number of the organizations that reside at Seattle Center are partnering with The Next Fifty to present concerts, festivals, theatrical performances, lectures and competitions.

In the warmer months, the celebration makes use of outdoor spaces for concerts, parties and picnics. New food vendors offering fresh, local food and beverages will move into the renovated areas during the first months of the anniversary celebration.