Wildfire Smoke Guidance Inbox WA Department of Health Unsubscribe Fri, Aug 7, 1:02 PM (1 day ago) to me Are you ready for wildfire smoke? Wildfire Smoke 1 Washington State Department of Health-Temporary Worker Housing Program for Agricultural Employees. Farmworkers are the backbone of Washington’s agricultural economy, yet they face some of the most dangerous conditions during wildfire smoke events. When smoke settles over our state, it does not just threaten the fields, it enters the places where workers and their families live. This includes Temporary Worker Housing (TWH). These conditions can quickly become hazardous, especially during Washington’s increasingly hot and dry summers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is committed to protecting the health of farmworkers and their families. As wildfire smoke and extreme heat intensify, preparation is essential. Employers, operators, and workers must work together to provide training and take practical steps to reduce smoke exposure by keeping indoor and outdoor air as clean and safe as possible. Working long hours outdoors and poor indoor air quality make farmworkers especially vulnerable to wildfire smoke exposure. These risks can be reduced with preventative measures in place. Reduce the risk of smoke-related illnesses by taking simple actions such as providing: Appropriate respiratory protection. Plenty of drinking water. Rest breaks in well-ventilated indoor spaces with clean, filtered air. This bulletin provides some guidance and resources to help farmworker housing operators, employers, and workers prepare for wildfire smoke events, protect their health, and stay safe throughout the season. Key points from How Wildfire Smoke Affects Your Body, CDC Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles from burning trees and plants, buildings, and other materials. Wildfire smoke can reach far away from where the fires burn. Wildfire smoke can make anyone sick, but certain groups of people have a greater risk. Be ready to protect yourself and others against smoke and ash before, during, and after wildfire. Wildfire smoke can make you sick Breathing in smoke can immediately affect your health and may cause the following: Coughing Trouble breathing Wheezing Asthma attacks Stinging eyes Scratchy throat Runny nose Irritated sinuses Headaches Tiredness Chest pain Fast heartbeat Learn how to check your current air quality. Protect yourself and others from smoke and ash and evacuate safely during wildfire. Prepare for wildfire smoke: Wildfire Smoke 2 Wildfire smoke contains fine particles, PM2.5, that can irritate eyes and lungs and worsen heart and lung disease. DOH’s Smoke From Fires webpage explains that the risk of severe health impacts is greater for people who work outdoors, people 18 years old and younger, and those with lung diseases like asthma or existing heart or circulatory problems. The Smoke from Fires webpage includes: How to protect yourself and others from smoke. WA Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution. Portable Air Cleaners. Improving Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality During Wildfire Smoke Events. Factsheets for the public. Protecting farmworkers and their families from the dangers of both heat and wildfire smoke is more important than ever. Please watch this Department of Labor and Industries safety expert, Chris Pyke, review the rules employers must follow and give tips to keep everyone safe: Washington Wildfire Smoke and Outdoor Heat Exposure Rules, Nonprofit Association of Washington. Reduce Exposure: Follow all workplace requirements for wildfire, smoke and heat: Wildfire Smoke, L&I Be Heat Smart, L&I Check local air quality by using the following tools: Washington Smoke Blog Air Quality Index (AQI) | AirNow.gov. Stay indoors when air quality is “Unhealthy” or worse. Use a portable air cleaner if available. Keep windows and doors closed during heavy smoke. Wear a properly fitted N95 mask if you must be outdoors. Thank you for all hard work and dedication to agriculture in our beautiful state. Our farmworkers deserve safe working and living conditions. Please share this bulletin widely with coworkers, community members, family members, and community partners. Let us know if you have any questions and reach out to us via email at Housing@doh.wa.gov. Other Resources: Preparing for Wildfires, CDC Respiratory Health and Protection, Migrant Clinicians Network Wildfire Smoke Safety, Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center Portable Air Cleaners Wildfire Smoke - Partner Toolkit – includes guidance for risk communication, making decisions about events, ventilation and filtration strategies, and more Heat Illness Prevention, Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center Heat-Related Illness Cooling indoor spaces without air conditioning X logo facebook instagram youtube medium subscribe To request this document in another format, call 1-800-525-0127. Deaf or hard of hearing customers, please call 711 (Washington Relay) or email doh.information@doh.wa.gov Manage your DOH email subscriptions | Unsubscribe from all DOH emails | Help

OIG Weekly Investigative Update Inbox Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) Unsubscribe 10:33 AM (34 minutes ago) to me New Rebranded Header Investigative Update - Week of Aug 3, 2026 Iranian National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud 8/5/2026 4:00 PM EDT Mehrdad Geram, an Iranian National residing in Coos Bay, Oregon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. According to court documents, since 2021, Gerami was the owner and operator of Coastal Diagnostic Testing Group in Oregon. He and his employees charged for intensive, in-office sleep studies that were medically unnecessary or didn’t take place. The estimated loss is more than $2 million. The VA OIG and Health and Human Services OIG investigated this case. Click Here for Investigative Update

CMS WA Wildfire Resources Inbox WA Department of Health Unsubscribe 10:53 AM (13 minutes ago) to me WA State Department of Health Office of Community Health Systems CMS Certified Providers Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) WA State Wildfire Resources and Information for CMS Certified Facilities A message from CMS Dear Washington State Contacts, As we are all aware, there are a number of wildfires in Washington that may impact CMS beneficiaries and could require additional flexibilities to enable providers and suppliers to meet their needs. Following is information that we believe may be useful. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Seattle Regional Office at ROSEA_ORA2@cms.hhs.gov. For all of those impacted, our thoughts and well-wishes are with you. CMS would like to make you aware that during emergencies and natural disasters, the CMS Emergency Response website serves as a comprehensive resource, offering a variety of information, reference links, and educational materials from the Department, all of which are available for your review. In addition, the ASPR TRACIE website provides detailed technical assistance with respect to on-the-ground emergency response for those working in public health preparedness. In addition, the below information regarding 1135 waiver requests may be of interest. In the event that a Public Health Emergency is declared for any given natural disaster, providers and others may request waivers or flexibilities to existing CMS requirements. Following a declared active Public Health Emergency by the Secretary for a specific emergency or natural disaster, this portal, CMS 1135 Waiver / Flexibility Request and Inquiry website, will become available to submit a request. It is only available following the designation by clicking on the specific relevant active emergency. X logo facebook instagram youtube medium subscribe To request this document in another format, call 1-800-525-0127. Deaf or hard of hearing customers, please call 711 (Washington Relay) or

New Rebranded Header Desk Audit Review of the U.S. VETS Single Audit Reporting Package for the Year Ended June 30, 2025 8/7/2026 1:00 PM EDT The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) is committed to putting veteran interests first. The OIG completed a desk review of the single audit reporting package for the United States Veterans Initiative and Subsidiaries (U.S. VETS) for the year that ended June 30, 2025. The OIG performed this desk review consistent with its duties and responsibilities under the Inspector General Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. § 404, with the objective of determining whether the single audit reporting package complied with the reporting requirements of the Uniform Guidance. Based on the OIG team’s review, the rating for the reporting package is “pass with deficiencies”—meaning there are quality deficiencies that should be brought to the attention of the auditor (and auditee, when appropriate) for correction in future audits. The OIG does not express an opinion on the quality of the audit work performed or on the accuracy of the single audit reporting package. The OIG team found that the U.S. VETS’ Schedule of Expenditures of Federal and Non-Federal Awards did not fully comply with reporting requirements because it did not provide totals by individual federal programs and the associated assistance listings numbers, did not clearly identify each federal agency and individual program, and did not use correct dollar thresholds to distinguish Type A programs from Type B programs. The OIG is providing a copy of this memorandum to VA officials, federal agencies with direct expenditures listed on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal and Non-Federal Awards, and Armanino LLP (the firm that conducted the single audit) to inform them of the results of this desk review.

New Rebranded Header Healthcare Facility Inspection of the VA Wichita Healthcare System in Kansas 8/7/2026 10:00 AM EDT The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) is committed to helping VA deliver high-quality health care. This OIG Healthcare Facility Inspection program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the care provided at the VA Wichita Healthcare System in Kansas. This evaluation focused on five key domains: • Culture • Environment of care • Patient safety • Integrated veteran care • Veteran-centered safety net The OIG made two recommendations for VA to correct identified issues in one domain: 1. Patient safety • Service-level workflows for communication of test results • Monitoring data on the communication of test results to providers and patients

New Rebranded Header 8/7/2026 9:00 AM EDT The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced today that it has successfully stopped more than $2 billion in fraudulent activity from January 2025 to June 2026, marking a significant accomplishment in its ongoing commitment to safeguard veterans’ benefits and protect taxpayer dollars. In addition, fraud enforcement by the VA OIG totaled more than $600 million. For more information on the VA OIG’s work to stop fraud, check out our investigative updates and oversight reports at www.vaoig.gov. To learn more about the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/fraud/.

New Rebranded Header Healthcare Facility Inspection of the St. Cloud VA Health Care System in Minnesota 8/7/2026 9:00 AM EDT The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) is committed to providing independent oversight to VA. This OIG Healthcare Facility Inspection program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the care provided at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System in Minnesota. This evaluation focused on five key domains: • Culture • Environment of care • Patient safety • Integrated veteran care • Veteran-centered safety net