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Governor’s three advisory groups will provide input, feedback during phased reopening

WASHINGTON — As Governor Jay Inslee works to reopen the state’s economy, he’ll have input from three new advisory groups across social support, public health, and business sectors.

Loria Yeadon, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle, is one of the members of the social support advisory group. The YMCA of Greater Seattle has been providing child care for first responders and essential workers and served 50,000 meals last month to children and others in need.

“We’re providing meals in a record number,” Yeadon said. “Pre-COVID-19, we were providing about 16,000 meals in any given month. So the need is definitely higher.”

As a group member, Yeadon said she can communicate how those community needs change as the state moves through the phases of reopening.

“Is the curve still flattening for communities of color?” Yeadon said. “And if not, should we pause and ask why, and what additional considerations should we put in place to ensure that we're flattening the curve for those communities as well?”

The governor has also put together a public health advisory group, which includes Jane Hopkins, executive vice president at SEIU Healthcare 11-99NW.

“We're going to make sure that any reopening takes into consideration what's going on in the health care system, in hospitals, what's going on with the PPE in hospitals and making sure that we don't reopen everything so fast that there isn't enough PPE for people,” Hopkins said.

The union represents thousands of nurses, health care workers and behavioral health workers who can see trends happening on the front lines in hospitals, clinics, and even homeless shelters.

“So there might be the possibility that as we move through Phase 1, your group would put up the warning signs if it looks like it's too soon to move to Phase 2?” reporter Linzi Sheldon asked.

“Exactly,” Hopkins replied. “And also, if things are going well, we’ll be able to also tell him that things are going well, right? And ‘Yes, it’s OK to move to Phase 2.’”

There’s also the safe work and economic advisory group, aimed at giving voice to industries across the state.

“The focus is to get perspectives from business leaders, from workers,” former Washington state lawmaker and Civic Ventures’ senior vice president Jessyn Farrell said. “We have a diverse and large workforce in Washington state and we’re really thinking about how to get perspectives from people and different business owners.”

Farrell, who is a member in the group, said they will find ways to hear from people, likely online.

“We’re very close on having the guidance, being able to be distributed by the end of the week on Phase 1 and working on Phase 2 as well,” Washington state commerce secretary Lisa Brown said. “But we anticipate that as businesses reopen, new questions will emerge.”

The Department of Health will be taking the lead in the phased reopening process and the governor is speaking to other industries and associations as well. The three advisory groups will have a weekly call with the governor’s office, KIRO 7 was told.