The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The Washington Department of Health is looking to stamp out substandard health care by health professionals and facilities in our state, and seeks help from the public to do so.

The agency says that most of the 380,000 health care providers working in 83 health professions in the state provide safe, quality care and don’t have any difficulties. That’s also true for the 7,000 facilities, which includes hospitals, animal control facilities, correctional facilities, nursing homes, pharmacies, and many others overseen by the state.

But when something goes wrong, state health officials want to know so they can do what’s necessary to ensure patient safety. State health officials want to be sure that if anyone has a complaint about a provider or facility, they know what to do.

“Patient safety is our highest priority,” says Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “When someone makes a complaint about possible substandard care by a health care provider or facility, they’re helping protect other patients in our state.”

Reports can be filed online or by phone 1-360-236-4700. As with most states, disciplinary action against health professionals in Washington is complaint-driven; the state health department reviews nearly 9,000 complaints and inspects thousands of facilities yearly.