Lewis County Seeks Funding for Mandates

By Jake Morgan, staff writer

CHEHALIS — State and federal requirements to provide health care to inmates at the Lewis County Jail and legal defense costs for the poor or indigent don’t include state or federal funding and the costs for these services are crippling the county budget. Unfunded mandates for Lewis County to provide indigent defense and medical costs to jail inmates is approaching $1.5 million a year and continues to rise.

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County Needs Growth Help

By Jake Morgan, staff writer

CHEHALIS – Lewis County's largely rural and mountainous landscape poses unique challenges to urban growth planners.

County planners want to develop urban areas around Centralia, Chehalis and Napavine, preserve rural agricultural areas for farming and protect the county's abundant natural resources.

Rural land owners in Lewis County want to protect and profit from their property while having the freedom to develop it at the same time. Farmers who are looking for an additional income source ...

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U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, center, tours the Toledo High School on May 29 with her press secretary Michael Brewer, left, Toledo Mayor Steve Dobosh,

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, center, toured the Toledo High School on May 29, 2019 with her press secretary Michael Brewer, left, Toledo Mayor Steve Dobosh, school Superintendent Chris Rust and city clerk Michelle Whitten.

Photo by Jake Morgan / Lewis County Tribune

Murray's Digital Equity Act models Toledo, WA

By Jake Morgan, staff writer

TOLEDO — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) toured the Toledo High School last spring to see how students and educators were benefiting from the area's broadband technology.

Murray recently introduced the Digital Equity Act of 2019 to the U.S. Senate. She said the Digital Equity Act provides competitive grants to communities to lay new broadband as well as technology training.

Murray hosted a round-table discussion at the school with city leaders, educators, school administrators, business owners and local broadband provider ToledoTel to learn more about Toledo’s trailblazing work to expand rural broadband access ...

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A map from the Wash. Health Care Authority shows the ten different managed care regions. Lewis County is part of the Great Rivers region.

County changed health plan providers in 2020

By Jake Morgan, staff writer

Lewis County residents who are enrolled in Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) will no longer have the Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW) or Coordinated Care of Washington (CCW) as options for managed care beginning in January 2020.

The move is part of a years-long campaign by Washington Apple Health and the state legislature to create an integrated managed care model that combines physical and behavioral health care and payment into one system.

"We are trying to approach this from a whole-person perspective," said Amy Blondin, chief communications officer for the Washington State Health Care Authority. "This is about combining treatment for mind and body."

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P.O. Box 550, Toledo, Washington 98591