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Public Health
Seattle & King County
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Seattle, WA 98104

Phone: 206-296-4600
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Toll-free: 800-325-6165

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Ethnicity and health reports

August 2008
Health of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders in King County
Documents the health of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders living in King County for the first time, pointing out higher rates of poverty, smoking, and poor birth outcomes among this population when compared with the general population.

May 2001
The Health and Status of American Indians and Alaska Natives Living in King County
Urban Indians now represent the largest segment of Indian people in the nation. However, federal policies regarding Indian health are generally directed at Indians living on or near the 226 Indian reservations scattered across the U.S. Indians who leave reservation homes frequently find themselves without access to health care or lack an understanding of how the mainstream health system operates.

March 2001
Addressing Domestic Violence in Ethnic and Hard to Reach Populations
A window into the experience of domestic violence among women from eight ethnic minority communities and among lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. It details their stories of struggle and strength in addressing domestic violence. This report is based on qualitative research, the purpose of which was to understand the depth and complexity of women's experiences in their cultural context.

January 2001
Report on Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in Health Care Settings
One in 20 (5%) King County adult residents interviewed in the Communities Count 2000 survey believe they have experienced discrimination in health care settings in the past year. However, for persons of color living in King County these occurrences are reported much more frequently.

January 2001
Racial Discrimination in Health Care Interview Project
A number of recent studies have documented disparities in specific health services provided to African Americans and have raised the question of whether these disparities might have been due to racial/ethnic discrimination in health care settings.

October 2004
Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality: An Update King County, 1980-2002
Over the last two decades, infant mortality rates in Seattle and King County have steadily declined, reflecting trends in Washington state and nationwide. These improvements are largely attributed to technological advances in medical care, policies and programs to expand health services and insurance coverage, and successful health education campaigns.

August 2000
Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality
The tremendous improvement in infant mortality county-wide masks persistent disparities among King County's racial and ethnic groups: African Americans and Native Americans in the County continue to experience infant death rates that are 2.7 times higher than other groups, a gap that appears to have widened in recent years.

April 1999
The Health of African Americans Living in Seattle
Since 1980, we have witnessed some improvements in the health of African Americans living in Seattle. Unfortunately, this progress has not been consistent over time. Many of the improvements mentioned in this report reflect gains in recent years which occurred after several years of worsening trends in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

October 1998
Ethnicity and Health Survey for King County
This survey was designed to identify specific health needs and lead to a discussion of appropriate disease prevention services for communities within African American, Latino/Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese heritages: