(Editor's note: This article appears originally in Seattle City Council member Nick Licata's newsletter, "Point of View.")

Recently I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with members of Seattle'’s Conservation Corps. The Conservation Corps provides recently homeless adults with on-the-job training, combined with case management and education for future permanent job opportunities.

The group I met with included men and women ranging from mid-20's to 50-something.

I asked the group how many had a physician or health insurance. They looked at me as if I had to be joking. One of the younger members said, "“None of us do”."

These individuals are among the millions who do not have health insurance. If they do require healthcare, they often turn to the emergency rooms of our hospitals.

The mission of the Seattle-King County Public Health Department is to ensure the health and safety of all residents of King County. That obligation means that it oversees the health and well-being of more than 1.8 million people from very diverse backgrounds and lifestyles.

Most people know that the public health department inspects restaurants to make sure the food is safe, it tracks and treats epidemics such as the H1N1 virus (“swine flu”), and it ensures that sanitation services from garbage collection to sewage treatment is operating properly.

However, even in the safest environment, people become ill, have accidents, or suffer from chronic disease. These individuals need access to medical care. The public health department provides safety net medical services to those who do not have access to care.

While the Board of Health does not take a position on a particular health care financing mechanism, we have identified six health reform principles that we are advocating for.

Last week I joined the Seattle/King County Board of Health members and representatives from the Kitsap County Health District and the Director of Public Health for Snohomish County, to meet with Sen. Maria Cantwell's health aide, Mark Iozzi, to urge her support for healthcare reform.

Harborview's Executive Director projects $150 million in uncompensated care in 2009 and, Gary Goldbaum, the director of Public Health for Snohomish County, said that the unreimbursed costs in Snohomish County were approximately $60 million.

We also met with representatives Jim McDermott, Jay Inslee and Dave Reichert and several local state representatives.