May 21, 2020

US Post Acute Care

Henning

Tacoma-based US Post Acute Care added Dr. Kevin Henning as chief medical officer. In his new role, Henning is leading a clinical team of 40 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants focused on the care of post-acute and long-term care patients in an inpatient setting. Since 2013, Henning served as medical director for Optum CarePlus in Washington and Oregon. Prior to that, he was chief medical director for Amedisys, a national hospice and home health company.

Regional Homelessness Authority

The first meeting of the governing committee of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority will be held today online. The authority oversees countywide policy, funding and services for people experiencing homelessness. The governing committee is made up of: Johnathan Hemphill, Kirk McClain and Zaneta Reid, who have experienced homelessness; King County Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Joe McDermott; Seattle Councilmembers Lorena Gonzalez and Andrew Lewis; Sound Cities Association representatives Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, Redmond Mayor Angela Birney and Renton Councilmember Ed Prince; King County Executive Dow Constantine; and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Office of the Insurance Commissioner

In Olympia, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine are asking insurance companies in Washington state if they can lend workers to help the state deal with a huge volume of unemployment compensation claims. The state is seeking two classifications of workers: unemployment insurance specialist level 4 adjudicator and fraud investigator level 3. Employment Security will pay for those hired for three to six months, along with providing the training and equipment needed for the jobs. Adjudicator pay ranges from $4,600 to $6,036 monthly, and fraud investigators make $3,682 to $4,829. To apply, contact Sam Virgil at SVirgil@esd.wa.gov or (360) 742-7095.

Xealth

Seattle-based Xealth won the Best Connected Health Platform award in the 2020 MedTech Breakthrough Awards program, which honors excellence in medical and health technology companies, products, services and people. Xealth's platform helps health providers integrate, deploy and scale digital health programs.

May 20, 2020

Washington Department of Health

Secretary of Health John Wiesman submitted his resignation to Gov. Jay Inslee and accepted a faculty appointment at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health that will start July 2021. Wiesman will continue as health secretary until the end of Inslee's second term as governor, which will be Jan. 10, 2021.

Grant Thornton

Consulting firm Grant Thornton named Dan Powers as managing partner of the firm's Seattle office. Powers has 35 years of public accounting experience and has been with the firm since 2004, serving as Seattle interim office managing partner since July. He continues as global head of tax for Grant Thornton International Ltd. He previously was managing partner in the Wichita, Kansas, office and tax practice leader of the Kansas City, Missouri, office. He also helped establish the Grant Thornton Shared Services Center in Bangalore, India.

Kubota Vision

Seattle-based Kubota Vision said it has reached positive clinical results from myopia control tests in humans. The company uses a tabletop optical device to project myopically de-focused images on the peripheral retina of subjects to prevent progression of myopia. Based on these clinical results, Kubota plans to develop wearable devices to prevent myopia in children. It expects to have prototype smart glasses available by December and smart contact lenses at a later date. Kubota Vision is a subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. of Tokyo.

Score Greater Seattle

The U.S. Small Business Administration named Score Greater Seattle as Chapter of the Year. The local chapter was cited for its response to the coronavirus — nimbly shifting its in-person support to virtual and online services. Krista Fuller is the chapter chair. Score Greater Seattle is a nonprofit that helps small businesses grow through education and mentorship.

Bixby Land Co.

Newport Beach, California-based Bixby Land Co. donated $50,000 to 11 food banks throughout the U.S., including Northwest recipients Sumner Community Food Bank and Oregon Food Bank. The donations assist communities where Bixby currently acquires, redevelops and operates industrial, logistic, office and R&D properties.