Ruby de Luna
Reporter
About
Ruby de Luna is a reporter with a focus on food and how it intersects with health, communities, and culture. She has also reported on health care and immigrant communities.
Ruby is a transplant from Taipei, Taiwan. She holds a B.A. in communication from Seattle Pacific University. She is proud to be one of the few old-schoolers who can edit tape with a razor blade.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, Conversational Mandarin, Tagalog
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Member, AAJA
Stories
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State Reports Drop In Unnecessary Emergency Room Use
A preliminary report from the Washington State Hospital Association shows that emergency room visits by frequent users fell by 23 percent between June and
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King County Calls For Fix In State Mental Health System
King County is facing a major problem. It doesn’t have enough beds for mentally ill people going through the court system.The county has nowhere to send
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Governor-Elect Inslee Committed To Health Care Changes
Democrat Jay Inslee made his first public appearance since he won the election. The Governor-Elect spoke Wednesday at a health care policy conference in SeaTac. He reiterated his commitment to change health care in Washington state through the Affordable Care Act.Inslee appeared at a gathering of health care providers, insurance companies and policy analysts. He did not announce any major plans, but he made it clear he wants the state to stay on track when implementing the Affordable Care Act. He says it’s an exciting time to be governor on this issue."Governors in the next several years are going to succeed or fail, largely dependent on their ability to be successful in advancing health care reform," Inslee told the group. "These budgets are going to be extreme pressure and their ability to solve this mystery of health care reform in a way that’s cost effective and improves health is absolutely pivotal to the success of any governor in any state. So this is absolutely one of the top things in my agenda to work with you to figure out how we do this.”Inslee says he looks forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to come up with solutions to bring down health care costs. One of his priorities is to expand Medicaid in Washington. He says that would provide coverage to people who currently have no health insurance. He estimates this would save the state $100 million in the first four years. Inslee says those savings would help the state pay for other priorities such as education. Inslee’s assessment of Medicaid expansion is in line with what some policy experts were saying at the conference. It's unclear how new leaders in the state Legislature will respond to Inslee's assessment. The session begins next week and budget issues will be front and center. One question likely to come up is the long term cost of Medicaid expansion.
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Newtown Shooting Raises Questions About Mental Health Funding
Little information is available yet to conclude whether the shooter in Newtown, Conn., was diagnosed with, or treated for, mental illness. But last week’s incident has raised questions around the country about mental health and funding for treatment and services. Amnon Shoenfeld has worked in the mental health field for more than 30 years. In all that time, Shoenfeld says it’s always been underfunded. Shoenfeld is director of King County’s Mental Health Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services. The agency provides outpatient treatment primarily for people on Medicaid and low-income people.Shoenfeld says in recent years the situation has been very challenging. Starting in 2009, state lawmakers made major cuts in both mental health and substance abuse services. To date, funding has been slashed by more than 15 percent. At the same time, demand for services has grown by 40 percent. These budget cuts mean people are getting less attention because case managers are spread thin. Many programs that keep people out of the hospital have been cut too. “Things like crisis respite beds for people in crisis, crisis diversion, hospital diversion beds, homeless outreach and stabilization services," says Shoenfeld. "Some of our residential treatment beds, we’ve had to close down. Next-day appointments for people who are in crisis, we’ve had to reduce the number of slots available."King County has filled some of the funding gaps. In 2007, the County Council raised the sales tax to pay for outpatient mental health and substance abuse services. That levy expires in 2016. Shoenfeld says funding is important to make sure people get the help they need. But just as crucial is removing the stigma of mental illness. “The stigma is so destructive because that it keeps people from seeking treatment because of the way people are going to perceive them,” says Shoenfeld.Shoenfeld says he’s relieved to see that there are no cuts to mental health services in the governor’s budget proposal. But that could change when the Legislature convenes and the new governor takes office in January.
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New Science Center Interactive Exhibit Focuses On Wellness
Most science exhibits focus on animals, robots or body parts. But a new exhibit at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center focuses on wellness. The goal is to help kids understand how the choices they make affect their overall health.One interactive exhibit, for example, teaches kids the connection between sneezing and spreading germs. A screen at the exhibit’s germasium beckons to the kids. It shows people sneezing. As the kids walk up to the wall, they get a spray of mist. Don’t worry, it’s not a real sneeze, it’s just water. But if it were real, the kids would be exposed to more than 40,000 germy particles. The obvious message is cover your mouth. The interactive exhibit is part of the Wellbody Academy.Hygiene is one of seven segments that make up good health. So is sleep. That’s Michael Vitiello’s expertise. He researches sleep disturbances at the University of Washington. He also helped develop content for the Academy’s slumbertorium. “I was just watching five people fill out the machine that shows how much they’ve slept and whether they’re rested. All of the children said they didn’t feel rested. Every one of them,” says Vitiello.Vitiello says sleep is one of those corners that people cut when it comes to their health. Nutrition is another issue. He acknowledges it’s a challenge to teach children about wellness when we’re surrounded by unhealthy choices -- junk food, TV, you name it. So the exhibit offers tips to overcome potential barriers and change behavior. But how do you get kids to pay attention to their health? Vitiello says parents are key. They play a crucial role in influencing kids to make healthy choices.“We’re talking about getting kids to see what a healthy lifestyle is when they’re three, and four, and five. It’s the old, 'as the twig bends, so grows the tree.' And so if they see their parents not sleeping well, not getting exercise, eating too many donuts and not enough apples, that’s the way they’re going to go, because it’s easier,” says Vitello.The exhibit might be all fun and games, but there are some sobering statistics behind it. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Health officials warn this younger generation will be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents.
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What To Call The New Bride And Groom
Marriage certificates in Washington state will look a little different next month. Terms like bride and groom will be out. The Department of Health wants to use something more gender-neutral, now that same–sex marriage is legal. The agency is taking suggestions at a public hearing on Wednesday.You may be asking yourself, what’s the Department of Health doing worrying about marriage certificates? The agency is a repository for records of births and deaths, and everything else in between, like marriage and divorce. “When you think about it, people need these records often, more so than ever before as they have to prove who they’re married to, when they were born, for things like passports, and other items. So we keep all of those records,” says Tim Church, spokesperson for the Department of HealthChurch says the agency is trying to update the state’s marriage and divorce certificates to reflect the recently approved same-sex marriage law. To get ideas, Church says they looked at other states that have legalized same-sex marriage like Connecticut, Iowa and Massachusetts.“Some states are using Spouse A and Spouse B. Some states are using Party A and Party B, or Person A and Person B," he said. "All of them are working for those individual states. We’re starting with a proposal of Spouse A and Spouse B, but we want to hear what other people think.”So much for romance.Church says the forms may ask for the couples’ gender. The agency wants to keep track of the number of same-sex marriages in the state. It hopes to have the new forms ready by December 9. That’s the first day same-sex couples can get married.
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Janitors And Secretaries More Prone To Flu Symptoms
Here’s another reason why it’s tough being a janitor: In a recent survey, people who clean work places are more prone to the flu.
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Next Question For Washington Health Exchange: How To Pay For It
Next fall Washington’s health exchange is expected to be up and running. The exchange is an online market for health plans, mandated by the federal Affordable Care Act. Right now the state's Health Exchange Board is trying to figure out how to pay for itself.
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DelBene Wins Race For U.S. House
Democrat Suzan DelBene beat Republican John Koster in the congressional race for the newly drawn 1st District. Election returns show DelBene ahead in three of the four counties.
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Washington Cheesemaker Banned From Interstate Sales
A federal court judge has barred local cheese maker Estrella Creamery of Montesano in Grays Harbor County from selling its products outside of Washington.Last week Federal District Court Judge Benjamin Settle signed the order barring Estrella Creamery from interstate sales. It also authorized the FDA to inspect the facility in the future to insure the company is in compliance. Pete Kennedy is a lawyer with the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, the group representing the Estrellas. He says the Estrellas want to get back into the cheese business, but they should be operating under rules set by the state, not the FDA.“The Estrellas are getting their ingredients from within the state of Washington and they’re also selling the finished product only within the state of Washington," said Kennedy. "So this is really an operation the FDA should not have jurisdiction over.” The troubles began for the Estrella Family Creamery more than two years ago. That’s when state inspectors found listeria in the creamery’s production areas. There were no illnesses reported or linked to the cheese. The owners destroyed all contaminated cheese and closed the facility to fix the problem. A few months later the FDA conducted its own inspection and found more bacteria. The agency requested that Estrella recall all of its products. The company refused. In October 2010, the US Marshall seized all of Estrella’s cheese products. Under the court order, the Estrellas must pay the government costs and fees related to the seizure.