West Sound law enforcement agencies arrested more people for drug and narcotic violations in 2023 than they have in either of the past two years, according to a new state report released this month. The 2023 Crime in Washington Report, an annual tally of arrests compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health announced Tuesday that it plans to open a new hybrid emergency room and urgent care facility at its Port Orchard campus on South Kitsap Boulevard. Currently, VMFH offers only urgent care and other specialty services at the Port Orchard site. Creating the dual-purpose facility, the health care providers say, will vastly
A short-term residential facility supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from across Washington is expected to open near Gig Harbor in the coming months. The facility will help its clients avoid institutionalization and return to their home communities. The facility, located along Highway 302 west of Wright Bliss Road, will provide crisis care and
After overwhelmingly rejecting a property tax increase earlier this year, Gig Harbor voters will head to the polls again this summer to vote on a sales tax measure supporting the city’s police department and general fund budget. Revenue from the proposed Public Safety Sales Tax, which will appear on the Aug. 6 primary ballot, would
April Kelly spent years in and out of jail because of her addiction. Her health suffered, she lost contact with family and eventually ended up homeless. None of it was enough to make her quit. “They talk about reaching your bottom,” she said, “but it didn’t matter what I lost or how alone I was.
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health confirmed Monday that it will close its outpatient rehabilitation and physical therapy clinic in Port Orchard next month. St. Michael Medical Center President Chad Melton said the clinic is no longer financially viable given current insurance reimbursement rates, especially for Medicaid. The office plans to close July 12. The care of
Ahead of what could be a busy wildfire season, Pierce and six other Puget Sound-area counties are promoting a regional evacuation alert system. The Ready, Set, Go program creates a standardized three-step evacuation messaging system for most counties bordering Puget Sound, including Pierce, Kitsap, King, Skagit, Thurston, Snohomish and Whatcom. Emergency Management officials are hoping
Across the West Sound, people experiencing a behavioral health crisis often end up in local hospitals. Every month, around 150 people in crisis arrive at the St. Michael Medical Center emergency room in Silverdale. Another 40 or 50 end up at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor. Hannah Shockley, program management planner for Kitsap County’s
Wildfire Ready Neighbors, a statewide initiative that helps property owners prepare their homes for wildfires, expanded to Gig Harbor last week. State Public Land Commissioner Hilary Franz unveiled the new program during a press conference at Fire Station 50 in Gig Harbor on May 31. Officials from the Washington Department of Natural Resources and Gig
As the leader of Kitsap Mental Health Services, CEO Monica Bernard knows as well as anyone how easy it can be for someone facing serious mental illness to dismiss any anticipation of recovery. “Maybe their lives are weighed down by poverty, or housing instability, or chronic illness. It’s all too easy for them to give
