|
Links to external resources are provided as a public service
and do not imply endorsement by the Washington State Department of Health.
Some files on this page require free readers.
Download
a reader.
How
to contact local health departments?
Questions regarding the Basic Health plan?
How to obtain public services assistance, such as how to get medical
help, food stamps or food resources?
How to obtain a Washington Food and Beverage Services Worker's
Permit?
How to order vital records, birth, death, marriage and
divorce certificates?
How to order health education publications listed in our catalog?
How to register your Living Will?
How can I check the current status of any licensed,
registered or certified health care provider?
How to make a complaint about a health professional or hospital?
How to contact agency staff?
Main Department of Health address and telephone?
How can I get a copy of my "shot" record?
Do people have a right to get copies of their medical records?
Questions on HIV/AIDS?
Questions about lice?
Questions to DOH as a central source from which to obtain referrals
to other agencies and services not listed here.
- Questions regarding the Basic Health plan?
- This program is not administered by the Department of Health. You can reach them by
calling 1-800-826-2444 or via the
Health Care Authority web site.
If you have questions about private insurance companies,
call the Insurance Commissioner's office at 1-800-562-6900 or visit the Insurance
Commissioner's web site.
- How to obtain public services assistance, such as how to get medical help, food stamps
or food resources?
- These services are handled by the Department of Social and Heath Services.
- How to obtain a Washington Food and Beverage Services Worker's Permit?
- These are issued by local health departments/districts, a test is required and there
is a small fee.
- How to order materials from the DOH Health Education Catalog?
- To order publications: download and complete the order form (download
a word viewer) and fax your order to (360) 664-2929. You may also mail your request to:
Washington State Department of Health
Materials Management Warehouse
P O Box 47845
Olympia, WA 98504-7845
If you would like a copy of the Health Education Catalog mailed to you,
e-mail your name and mailing address.
- How to register your Living Will?
- A living will gives you the power to record your medical decisions in the event you’re unable to communicate and gives
your physician vital information about your treatment wishes. Only authorized health care providers may access and view
your documents in the registry.
Register you Living Will on the Living Will Registry Web site.
- How to make a complaint about a health professional or hospital?
- To make a complaint against a health professional, call (360) 236-4700.
- To make a complaint against a facility,
call 1-800-633-6828 or for Spanish call 1-800-832-8822.
Link to list of
professions and facilities regulated.
- Main Department of Health address and telephone?
- Washington Department of Health
101 Israel Road SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Mail:
PO BOX 47890
Olympia, Washington 98504-7890
- (360) 236-4501 Information/Receptionist
- How can I get a copy of my "shot" record?
- There are several ways you may be able to get a copy of your shot record.
The best place to start is to contact your doctor, clinic, or the local health jurisdiction that provided the immunizations.
Washington
State also has an immunization registry, which is a centralized and secure web-based database of immunization records.
Your doctor, nurse, or clinic may have entered a record of your shots in the registry. The registry does not have complete
records for every person in Washington State. Contact the CHILD Profile Help Desk at (800) 325-5599 or (206) 205-4141
to find out whether you have shots recorded in the registry.
Once you get a copy of your shot record, keep it up-to-date
by bringing the record to every doctor visit.
- Do people have a right to get copies of their medical
records?
- Yes. However, the Department of Health only has jurisdiction over what fees
providers may set for charging for copies of medical records. This is adjusted
based on changes in the consumer price index every two years. The providers don’t have to
release the medical records until they are paid for the copies. The fees are contained in
WAC 246-08-400.
- If you have trouble getting a provider to release the copies, the civil
remedies are within the court system. See RCW
70.02 for the law.
The civil
remedies are in 70.02.170. If a provider refuses to provide copies under this law,
then an unprofessional conduct complaint may be in order. See complaint information above.
- Questions on HIV/AIDS:
- People acquire HIV through unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person or
through sharing needles or syringes used for injecting drugs. An infected woman may pass
the virus to her baby during or immediately after pregnancy. HIV is not spread by casual
contact, by donating blood, eating in restaurants, or using public toilets, telephones, or
swimming pools.
People infected with HIV may not have any symptoms for several years, but can still infect
their sex or needle-sharing partners. There are no symptoms that are specific only to an
HIV infection. The only way a person can know if he or she is infected is to have a test
for HIV antibodies. Antibodies to an HIV infection are almost always produced within three
to six months after infection. Local health departments and private doctors can provide
counseling and testing for people who are unsure of their HIV infection status.
If you have further questions about HIV/AIDS transmission or on where or how to get tested
for HIV/AIDS...contact your local health
department/district or call the Department of Health HIV/AIDS Hotline at
1-800-272-2437.
For information on other communicable diseases, and other public health
topics,
you can find fact sheets at http://www.doh.wa.gov/A-Z.htm.
Each fact sheet has contact information listed at the bottom.
- Questions about lice?
- Contact your local health department/district or Department
of Health STD Education contact Bonnie Nickle via e-mail or at (360) 236-3498.
- Questions to DOH as a central source of information
from which to obtain referrals to other agencies and services not listed here.
- Contact our Office of Health Consumer Assistance at 1-800-525-0127
or e-mail.
|
