Eric Wilkinson

1 week ago | king5.com | Eric Wilkinson

SHORELINE, Wash. — Too many teens have stories about substance abuse or mental health issues these days. They are kids like 15-year-old Eleanor Bolling, who lost her father to a fentanyl overdose. "It makes me really sad and it makes me really emotional seeing people throw away their lives when they have so much potential," Bolling said. And they're kids, like 16-year-old Tachi Schafer, who has struggled with marijuana and nicotine addiction for the past three years.

1 week ago | krem.com | Eric Wilkinson

PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Of the 50 or so calls Ian Harrington will answer on his shift as a 911 dispatcher, about half of them are not emergencies. "They're still important, just not as important, like a barking dog or a parked vehicle," Harrington said. 911 dispatchers at PenCom on the Olympic Peninsula take about 85,000 non-emergency calls every year. Those take up a lot of time. It's time that would be better spent dealing with real emergencies.

1 week ago | king5.com | Eric Wilkinson

PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Of the 50 or so calls Ian Harrington will answer on his shift as a 911 dispatcher, about half of them are not emergencies. "They're still important, just not as important, like a barking dog or a parked vehicle," Harrington said. 911 dispatchers at PenCom on the Olympic Peninsula take about 85,000 non-emergency calls every year. Those take up a lot of time. It's time that would be better spent dealing with real emergencies.

2 weeks ago | kgw.com | Eric Wilkinson

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. — When urgent care nurse practitioner Justin Gill tries to find vital information for his patients online, he comes up empty. “These are essential resources for patients — to save and improve lives, and to make health care accessible and high quality for everyone,” said Gill, who is also president of the Washington State Nurses Association.

2 weeks ago | kktv.com | Eric Wilkinson

SEQUIM, Wash. (KING) – An 11-year-old girl in Washington state is battling an extremely rare health condition that has left her with a hole in her heart. In total, Ember Hanshaw has four health issues involving her heart and lungs. Doctors said being born with a hole in your heart is an abnormality that usually heals over time. However, Ember’s didn’t. “I just try not to think about it too much,” she said. Jennifer Hanshaw, Ember’s mother, said her daughter’s condition is tough to deal with.