Governor Inslee visits ICHS clinic, urges vigilance against COVID-19
From left: Sharissa Tjok, Outreach & Enrollment Coordinator; Rachel Koh, Chief Operations Officer; Asqual Getaneh, Chief Medical Officer; Gildas Cheung, ICHS Board President; Hermes Shahbazian, Chief Financial Officer; Gov. Jay Inslee; Ron Chew, ICHS Foundation Director; Teresita Batayola, President and CEO.
Governor Jay Inslee visited the International District clinic of International Community Health Services on Tuesday, March 3, to meet with ICHS leadership and held a press conference on the state’s efforts to address the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.
During the press conference, Governor Inslee and State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy reiterated the importance of being vigilant about washing hands and staying home if you become sick. “We are all in this together,” he said. “We are all potential subjects and we all got to pull together on this issue.”
Inslee’s tour, scheduled before the spread of COVID-19, was originally planned to discuss barriers to health care coverage and the state’s efforts to expand coverage with Cascade Care, the nation’s first public option for health insurance. ICHS CEO Teresita Batayola and her leadership team discussed with Inslee concerns about ICHS patients’ health care access in the wake of federal rules targeting immigrants and refugees.