Health & Wellness

Military health care cutbacks putting strain on civilian providers, health board says

May 17, 2024 | By:

Since closing its labor and delivery unit two years ago, Naval Hospital Bremerton – which once delivered a quarter of Kitsap County’s babies –  has relied on St. Michael’s Medical Center in Silverdale to provide delivery and obstetrics care to military patients. Kitsap Public Health officials say the reduction in obstetrics care is one of

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Check Out Washington backpacks bring the great outdoors into the library

May 14, 2024 | By:

There’s more to the library than books, magazines and CDs. Library cardholders can explore Washington’s 120-plus state parks and other state-owned lands through a Check Out Washington backpack, filled with things that provide access and inspiration for getting outside and exploring the Evergreen State. The Gig Harbor library at 4424 Point Fosdick Drive has two

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Opioid settlement funds help city reach out to those in need

May 09, 2024 | By:

Shea Smiley is the city’s Housing, Health and Human Services manager. Her position, created last year, helps aid those in need.

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In the Margins | Spring has sprung: Rely on a guide when entering gardening purgatory

May 08, 2024 | By:

How Mike Gatto and Raft Island Roses helped Chris Phillips find a sunnier disposition toward gardening — just in time for Mother’s Day.

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Wellness Wednesday | Ending the stigma: Mental Health Awareness Month

May 07, 2024 | By: Scot Fleshman

Mental health is a term that encompasses many conditions. Here are some common symptoms and treatment options.

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Grant helps Rotary continue its Little Food Pantry program

Apr 30, 2024 | By: Jill Dabbs

The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor Midday’s Little Food Pantry Project embarks on its fourth year providing emergency food, thanks in part to a matching grant from Rotary International District 5020. The grant provided $3,000 to purchase food to supplement donation and fundraising efforts. Beginning early 2021 with just two pantries, the project has grown

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911 meets 988 at emergency call center serving Gig Harbor area

Apr 29, 2024 | By:

As the largest 911 call center in Washington, a growing number of the nearly 1 million calls South Sound 911 handles annually involve someone experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis.  Aiming to better support these callers, the emergency call center launched a first-of-its-kind model that will bring counselors from the state’s 988 mental health

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Making the case for a new approach to substance-use treatment

Apr 24, 2024 | By:

For decades, research into substance use treatment has found that a rigid focus on abstinence-only models has caused just a small fraction of those in need to seek treatment. But as the opioid epidemic surges in Kitsap and across the country, Wayne Swanson, director of Subacute Recovery Services at Kitsap Mental Health Services, says providers

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PenMet creating Peninsula Gardens master plan

Apr 23, 2024 | By:

PenMet Parks enlisted help in determining the future of its Peninsula Gardens property. PenMet commissioners at their April 16 meeting hired AHBL, Inc. of Tacoma to help staff and the public produce a master plan for the former nursery. The contract pays up to $139,000 for work through the end of the year, according to

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Wellness Wednesday | How to manage stress in a healthy way

Apr 10, 2024 | By: Scot Fleshman

Not many things in life can be guaranteed. Except for death, taxes, and stress! While each person may experience stress differently, it’s usually defined as a feeling of “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.” There is no limit to how frequently stress may occur, and for some, even a brief stressful encounter can have

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