The Seattle-King County Department of Public Health was formed by a merger of Seattle and King County health departments in 1951. During the 1950s to the 1970s, county population shifted away from Seattle. In 1981, administration of the Department of Public Health transferred from the City of Seattle to King County. The Department continued to provide services to both city and county residents. Programs included disease prevention and control, abatement of environmental health hazards, providing health care services and alcohol and drug treatment programs, jail health services, emergency medical services, maintaining vital statistics records, and investigating deaths.

112-322       Annual reports, 1944 - 1972
Annual reports of activities of the Seattle and Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. Include summaries of program activities, health statistics, and expenditures.

Volume: 0.3 cu ft

112-11       Clipping and press release files, 1968 - 1979
Copies of press clippings and news releases on issues related to public health.

Volume: 3 cu ft

112-443       Director's administrative working files, 1973 - 1989
The administrative working file series is composed of two subseries: administrative files and project files. The series documents activities of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health from 1986 to 1988 under the direction of Bud Nicola. Additional files and documents from the 1970s and 1980s provide background information about department initiatives. The administrative files relate to department divisions, personnel and facilities, and contain memoranda, reports and proposals. There are also documents and articles prepared by specific divisions including Emergency Medical Services, Occupational Health and the Medical Examiner. The project files contain citizen correspondence, interdepartmental memoranda, reports, proposals, internal tracking information, and press releases regarding various department and director concerns. The files address general health issues such as noise, landfills, AIDS and smoking in the workplace. Other subjects of interest include fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Soviet Union, and the 1986 ban on oral medicine capsules following deaths from cyanide found in the aspirin product Excedrin. Overall arrangement of this series follows the King County files classification scheme with an alphabetical arrangement within each classification. A few unclassified files and documents have been placed at the beginning of the series.

Volume: 7 cu ft

112-444       Director's administrative working files, 1987 - 1992
The administrative working file series is composed of three subseries: administrative files, division files and project files. The series documents the activities of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health during 1991 under the direction of David Lurie. There are some documents from the late 1980s, 1990, and 1992, which reflect an overlap of 1991 documents and provide background on certain projects. Record types include correspondence, agendas, minutes, newsletters, reports, memoranda and publications relating to both city and county health programs. General administrative topics include job recruitment, nursing union negotiations, physician salaries, affirmative action, funding, and legislative agendas. There are also professional organization and conference files in the administrative subseries. Division files consist of memoranda and reports related to specific department divisions including the AIDS Prevention Project, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Environmental Health Services, Jail Health Services and Vital Statistics. Project file topics include communicable diseases, lead, noise, and waste disposal. There are also files on services to children and youth, minorities, women and the homeless. Overall arrangement of this series follows the King County files classification scheme with an alphabetical arrangement within each classification.

Volume: 7 cu ft

112-260       Director's Board of Health files, 1963 - 1985
This series is composed of two subseries: meeting files and policy files. The Seattle-King County Department of Public Health maintained these files in relationship to its role with the Board of Health. The Department Director served as Executive Secretary of the Board. Documents dating from 1979 show that an Administrative Assistant in the Environmental Health Division performed recording secretary duties, compiling agenda and maintaining meeting proceedings. The meeting files (1975-1985) include agendas, minutes, correspondence, public hearing notices and proceedings, resolutions and background information about agenda items. The policy files (1963-1985) include additional meeting file items, memoranda, correspondence and resolutions regarding Board of Health composition and authority.

Volume: 1.3 cu ft

112-10       Director's city/county division files, 1973 - 1986
This series documents activities of the city and county divisions of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. There are six alphabetical sets, one for each year 1980-1985; in addition, there is background material in the sets from 1973-1986. Divisions, offices and initiatives represented include: Administrative Services, AIDS, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Central District, Dental, Columbia Health Center, County Health Division, Crippled Children's Services, Director's Office, East District, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Health, Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Family Planning, Jail, Maternal and Child Health, Medical Examiner, North District, Nursing, Refugee Health Care, Seattle Division, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Southeast District, Southwest District, Support Services, Vital Statistics. There are also non-divisional files incorporated into the alphabetical sequence. They address particular issues such as noise, raw milk or infant car seats. They also document interaction between the department and other city and county departments through reports to the Mayor and Executive, and budgets, workplans and legal issue files. Record types include correspondence, memoranda, reports, newsletters, grant proposals, newsletters, press releases and dockets.

Volume: 10 cu ft

112-445       Director's history files, 1909-1982
The history files contain documents about Seattle and King County health services before and after the 1951 merger which established the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. The series includes reports, articles, memoranda, correspondence, news releases and brochures. The documents provide information about general history, specific health issues, budget, planning, legislative authority, departmental structure, divisions, and the relationship between the department and municipalities. The records are arranged in general chronological order.

Volume: 0.5 cu ft

112-9       Director's issue files, 1920 – 1985
This series contains two subseries: topical issue files and administrative issue files. The series documents public health activities of the Seattle-King County Health Department from 1965 to 1988 under the direction of Sanford Lehman, Lawrence Bergner, Jesse Tapp and Bud Nicola. The topical issue files are arranged alphabetically. They contain background reading material, articles, brochures, correspondence and memoranda on diseases, pollutants and services. The files also contain reports, studies, and grant applications on various Department projects and functions. Topics include abortion, fluoridation, jail health, lead poisoning, raw milk, water corrosion, and others. The materials provide insight into Department public policy and community perspectives on issues. The administrative issue files include legislative reports, personnel reports, meeting agendas, grant applications, briefing papers, decision packages and policy plans. The administrative issue files follow the alphabetical run of topical issue files.

Volume: 11 cu ft

112-446       Director's jail health files, 1970-1982
This series provides an overview of implementation of jail health policies and services of the Seattle-King County Health Department from 1970 to 1982. It also provides information about facility conditions, inmate concerns, and efforts to augment jail staffing through the National Health Service Corps. Record types include memoranda, correspondence, reports, articles and dockets. Topics include jail population, legal issues, funding, projects, services, training, staffing, accreditation, policies, and standards. Jail health files can also be found in other Director's series.

Volume: 1 cu ft

112-254       Fluoridation files, 1935 - 1968
The fluoridation issue went before the voters twice before it was passed in 1968. Included in the records are reports concerning the events leading up to each of the three elections, clipping files for 1951, 1952 and 1963, lists of dentists, doctors and organizations who were involved in the issue and letters from various cities concerning their experiences with fluoridation.

Volume: 1.3 cu ft

112-275       Photograph files, 1909 - 1970
Photograph prints and negatives of Seattle and King County Health Departments' activities, including documentation of sanitation problems and public health staff at work. Major topics include housing conditions, garbage dumps, the Cedar River watershed, and public health programs. Includes about 2000 distinct images, including both negative and print of many.

Volume: 2 cu ft

The Regional Health Services Division succeeded the Regional and Laboratory Services Division in 1984. The new Division restored the Manager position and reunited program responsibilities following two years of decentralized management due to budget cuts. The general mission of the Division was to provide disease prevention services for Seattle and King County at large. Programs included Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Tuberculosis Control, Epidemiology, Vital Statistics, Jail Health, Laboratory, and AIDS (1983). The Division was succeeded by the Prevention Division (1996).

112.04-450       Vital statistics data files, 1979 - 1986
This series consists of computer printouts of data generated for the Vital Statistics Section, Regional Health Services Division, of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. The data were gathered by the Section itself, the Puget Sound Council of Governments and the University of Washington Urban Data Center and include variables such as birth weights, low weight births, teenage births, prenatal care, family type, poverty status, cause of death, and infant deaths. The data are organized by several factors including race, sex, age, neighborhood, census tract and health planning area (HPA). Several printouts are identified as having been generated by the proprietary data management software ASI-ST. Also present are printouts of annual report data for 1979, 1981 and 1982.

Volume: 1 cu ft

Public alcoholism programs in King County were initially part of the criminal justice system. The county's first major facility, the Cedar Hills Alcoholism Treatment Center in Maple Valley, opened in 1967 under the Sheriff's Office (subsequently the Department of Public Safety), and the affiliated Department of Rehabilitative Services maintained an "Alcoholic Section" in its Involuntary Treatment Division until 1974. Other alcoholism treatment services were provided by many public and private agencies. They were not coordinated in a comprehensive continuum of care, despite recommendations to that end by several citizens' committees. The Central Alcoholism Agency, established with federal grant funds in 1972 under the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, was the first effort by local government to consolidate services. Centralization continued with Washington State's passage (1972) of the Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act, which decriminalized public inebriation and provided a discrete program of alcoholism treatment separate from the criminal justice and mental health systems. In 1974 the Division of Alcoholism Services was established in the Department of Public Health; its responsibilities included assuming management of the Cedar Hills facility. The division merged with the King County Drug Commission in 1981 and became the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Division. Its responsibilities centered on direct provision of services in both residential and community settings and on oversight of contracted private and non-profit programs. In 1999 the division moved to the Department of Community and Human Services and merged with the Mental Health Division to become the Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division.

112.6-466       Administrative files, 1984 - 1989
Organization, financing and intergovernmental relationships of the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Division are reflected in this selection of administrative files from the division director's office for the years 1984 to 1987. The records include: organizational charts; information about division budgets, relationships with program services contractors, and other sources of revenue (grants, liquor taxes); correspondence with the Bureau of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (the Division's counterpart on the state level); documentation of the Division's participation in the [Seattle] Mayor's Task Force on Street People and the Homeless (1984-1987); files detailing implementation of the state Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Treatment Support Act (ADATSA, 1987); and citizen correspondence. Grant files for 1988-1989 are also present. The alphabetic, topical arrangement of these records approximately follows the King County files classification scheme in use during the period.

Volume: 2 cu ft

The Emergency Services Division was established in 1974, primarily to coordinate medical emergency response programs in the Seattle-King County area. Principal among these was the Medic One program (established 1976) which, in cooperation with the University of Washington and the Seattle Fire Department, trained area firefighters as paramedics. The division maintained a close association with King County fire agencies. Early additional responsibilities included setting training standards for emergency medical services personnel, and coordinating public and private emergency medical and ambulance services. Subsequent responsibilities included providing integrated regional direction in areas such as community education in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, and other techniques; data collection and research; strategic and disaster planning; and medical oversight and guidance to paramedic personnel.

112.07-353       MIRF quarterly and annual reports, 1983 - 1984
Medical incident report form reports include annual summary statistics, by fire district or other EMS provider, of number of responses and patients, injury or illness, action taken, month, day of week, time of day, patient age and sex, CPR or defibrillation action taken, and response time. Quarterly reports summarize the same data for each fire district or other provider.

Volume: 0.6 cu ft

The Regional and Laboratory Services Division began in 1981 as part of a reorganization of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. The 1981 transfer of Department management from the City of Seattle to King County resulted in reorganization of the Department's component divisions. Functions of the Division of Operations were divided into three new divisions: Seattle Health Services, County Health Services, and the Regional Division. The Regional Division administered general department operations for Seattle and King County at large. Program areas included Communicable Diseases/Epidemiology, Venereal Disease, Tuberculosis Control, Contract Dental, Laboratory Services, Vital Statistics, Jail Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases. As a result of 1982 budget cuts, management of division functions was divided. While the structure of the Regional Division was maintained, management oversight was divided between the Division Director for Administration and the Division Director for County Health Services. Management responsibilities were recentralized in 1984 under the Regional Health Services Division.

112.14-452       Jail Health files, 1974 - 1981
This series consists of administrative records relating to the Jail Health Section of the Regional and Laboratory Services Division, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. Record types include correspondence, memoranda, reports and background information on jail conditions, inmate deaths, inmate and worker concerns, mental health services, policies and procedures, and remodeling plans. Specific topics include the Medex physician assistant training program; National Health Service Corps projects; and the Jail Health Task Force of the King County Medical Society. Several files are labeled with section headings: "health files," "medical files," and "policy and procedures files." In general, the files are arranged alphabetically by topic or section, M-Z. Related series include Series 446, Department Director's Jail Health files, 1970-1982.

Volume: 1.5 cu ft

The Seattle-King County Department of Public Health began maintaining electronic data management as an administrative function in the early 1980s, through its Data Processing Division. This Division was succeeded by the Data Management & Evaluation Division (ca. 1986). The Division provided statistical data surveys and reports for the Department and Divisions to aid in the planning and evaluation of programs, notably for the expanding teen health clinics of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Reports were also used to support education, fundraising and public relations efforts. The Division was succeeded by Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation, which is part of the Director's Office (ca. 1996).

112.19-454       Health data survey files, 1980 - 1991
This series consists of health survey data compiled by the Data Management and Evaluation Division of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. Teen surveys were conducted to assess the services of Rainier Beach High School Teen Health Center, opened in fall 1988, and to assess whether other schools (e.g. Sealth High School) might want to start health centers. Regional surveys were conducted in several public health district areas (Central, South and East County, and Southwest) to assess health care access for low-income residents. There are also records on tribal health surveys conducted to assess Native American health care access and choices. The series primarily contains mainframe printouts of anonymous survey data; however there are also memoranda, handwritten notes and charts, and background information on the surveys. The survey data are arranged by survey site, printout variable and date. Edit variables for printouts include race, age, gender, family income, and parental status. Other factors include health insurance status; ability to pay for services; use of prenatal, child care and food program services; and use or non-use of the County's Public Health program. The Division used the survey data to create reports, e.g. Report on South King County Health Care Access Survey (December 1989), document 2529 in the county's Document Collection. School survey reports may be found at the Seattle Public Schools Archives.

Volume: 7 cu ft

During the period covered by these records, the HIV/AIDS program worked with other units of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, health care agencies, educational institutions and community organizations to provide prevention, research and care services related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The program began in 1983 as the AIDS Prevention Project (APP) in the department's Regional Division. It was the second city/county-funded AIDS program established in the United States. The APP was simultaneously known as the AIDS Prevention Unit (APU) and the AIDS Control Program. In 1986 Robert (Bob) Wood, M.D., became the Director of the AIDS Control Program and Medical Director of the APP. In addition to his work at the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, Dr. Wood took an active role in HIV/AIDS research and his expertise became nationally recognized. A 1989 reorganization resulted in: (1) AIDS epidemiology staff moving to the Regional Division epidemiology section; and (2) Community AIDS Services Unit (CASU) becoming a sister unit to APP. CASU focused on management of programs and funds for community-based projects, while the APP addressed services and education. In 1996 the AIDS Program became a part of the Prevention Division which in turn had succeeded the Regional Division.

Program activities and grant-funded projects have addressed both care and prevention. Care initiatives included a program to develop a continuum of health and social support services for persons with AIDS; and a program to coordinate service delivery by linking public health primary care clinics, community health clinics, community drug treatment centers and HIV/AIDS programs. APP prevention efforts included outreach initiatives conducted through surveys; hypodermic-needle exchange and bleach distribution to injection drug users; media campaigns; studies, in collaboration with community-based organizations, of community health outreach worker (CHOW) and community organizing outreach models; and programs targeting hard-to-reach populations such as street youth, prostitutes and non-gay identified men who have sex with men. During the period covered by these records, APP addressed controversial issues such as condom distribution, hypodermic-needle exchanges with injection drug users, and confidential reporting of AIDS incidence.

Throughout the years, a number of legislative and funding initiatives significantly impacted regional administration of HIV/AIDS services. Washington State AIDS Omnibus legislation in 1988 provided HIV/AIDS funding and established policy and procedure regulations for HIV testing, training, education and services. The legislation also established a system of regional networks, AIDSNETS, to oversee funding and policy issues. In 1992, the King County Executive established the HIV/AIDS Planning Council to oversee administration of federal Ryan White CARE Act (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act) funds for King and Snohomish Counties. Planning Council duties included setting priorities for the use of funds. The HIV/AIDS Program created, developed and implemented strategies in conjunction with such state, regional and local community structures and entities.

112.172-463       Correspondence files, 1986-1997
This series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence of staff members of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. The bulk of records are those of Robert (Bob) Wood, M.D., Director of AIDS Control. They include letters, memoranda, invitations, articles, dockets, reports and background documents concerning legislation, committee memberships, grants, procedures, programs and proposals. Correspondents include health department staff, government officials, legislators, citizens, complainants, and representatives of educational institutions and community agencies. The series is arranged by name of Health Department representative (Wood correspondence filed first) and chronologically under each name. A file about communication with print media representatives is present at the end of the series.

Volume: 4.33 cu ft

112.172-464       Departmental files, 1986-1997
This series documents Seattle-King County Department of Public Health policies affecting the AIDS Program, department policies regarding AIDS and the participation of some program staff with department activities. Staff participation is reflected in files on the department's quality assurance program and the Senior Management Team. A King County Board of Health file contains meeting minutes and memoranda. Record types include memoranda, correspondence, minutes, articles, forms and notes.

Volume: 0.25 cu ft

112.172-460       Grant files, 1985-2000
This series documents grant project activities of the AIDS Prevention Unit and the Community AIDS Services Unit, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, between 1985 and 1997. It is divided into subseries by type of funding source: federal government, state government, local government, and private (foundation and organizational) sources. Record types for all subseries include applications, correspondence, memoranda, studies, brochures and data reports. The federal subseries consists principally of records of two large grant projects: (1) Community Based Demonstration Project for AIDS Prevention and Risk Reduction in King County (1985-1994), funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC); and (2) Control AIDS Through Community Health Outreach Now Project (CATCH-ON; 1988-1992) funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The CDC project covered research, intervention, and evaluation processes for the study of various risk groups. The NIDA project promoted community organizing in Seattle neighborhoods and among community groups such as People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) among others. The state subseries contains files about Washington State AIDS Omnibus funding. The local projects subseries consists primarily of grant applications submitted to the Community AIDS Services Unit for appraisal by the Health Department based on priorities for programs set by the HIV/AIDS Planning Council. The subseries for privately funded projects includes files for those sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the U. S. Conference of Mayors, which address health services and outreach to risk groups. A few miscellaneous project files are also present. Within each subseries, records are arranged alphabetically and chronologically by file topic.

Volume: 11 cu ft

112.172-459       Legislative files, 1987-1988
The HIV/AIDS Program (formerly the AIDS Prevention Program, or APP), Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, maintained files tracking government sponsored legislation impacting HIV/AIDS funding, procedures and APP positions on issues. The files in the series contain correspondence, bills, articles and newsletters relating to general subjects (AIDS education, prevention, housing and health care) and specific topics (hypodermic needle exchange, Washington State omnibus funding, and funding under the federal Ryan White CARE Act). Files are arranged in general chronological order.

Volume: 1 cu ft

112.172-458       Organizations files, 1985-1998
This series documents independent and collaborative activities of twenty-nine organizations affiliated with the AIDS Prevention Project, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. Files are present both for departmental community advisory groups and for local, regional, state and national organizations, principally AIDSNET and the HIV/AIDS Planning Council. Record types include minutes, agendas, correspondence, memoranda, brochures, articles and reports. Arrangement is alphabetical by name of group or organization.

Volume: 5.33 cu ft

112.172-462       Project files, 1984-1998
This series documents administrative and program activities of the HIV/AIDS Program (originally called the AIDS Prevention Project), Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. The records provide information about the program's prevention, education, counseling and testing policies and services. Administrative records include files on division, staff and committee meetings and retreats; goals and objectives; planning, funding, and statistics. Program records include files on needle exchange, testing issues, and questionnaires and studies. Some records also relate to both administrative policy and programmatic procedures (e.g., HIV reporting and exposure). Record types include memoranda, correspondence, minutes, articles, reports, charts and forms. The records are arranged alphabetically by topic.

Volume: 10 cu ft

112.172-461       Publications and presentations files, 1983-1998
This series contains educational and informational materials sponsored by the AIDS Prevention Project (APP) through its outreach and prevention programming efforts. It is divided into two subseries, publications and presentations. The publications subseries includes articles, newsletters, brochures, manuscripts, reports and a videotape. A group of general APP publication files is followed by files for individual publications arranged alphabetically. The presentations subseries includes studies, lectures, transparency graphics, conference documents, media files and a videotape. Lectures by Robert (Bob) Wood, M.D., Director of AIDS Control, constitute the bulk of this subseries. A group of general APP presentation files are followed by files for specific presentations, lecture files, and media files arranged alphabetically and chronologically.

Volume: 3.33 cu ft

112.172-457       Studies and reports files, 1986-1998
This series includes local, state and federal documents that reflect research on HIV/AIDS risk, prevention, services, epidemiology and funds. The documents contain statistical data, project narratives, thesis work and survey results. Document sponsors include the AIDS Prevention Project, the Seattle-King County and Washington State Health Departments, and the University of Washington. The records are arranged chronologically by project start year and alphabetically by name of sponsor.

Volume: 0.66 cu ft