TB evaluations begin at Rainier Beach High as UW study flags telehealth care gaps
Seattle, WA – February 28, 2026 – TB evaluations begin at Rainier Beach High School; UW telehealth study highlights care gaps; Duwamish fishing warning.
Seattle-area public health officials this week launched targeted tuberculosis (TB) evaluations tied to Rainier Beach High School, while new UW Medicine research adds detail to an ongoing local debate: when does telehealth support access, and when can it leave important care steps behind?
Outbreak watch: TB evaluation at Rainier Beach High School
Public Health – Seattle & King County reported that a person associated with Rainier Beach High School was diagnosed with active TB. The agency said it is working with the school to determine whether anyone had the type of prolonged indoor exposure that can lead to infection.
As a precaution, Public Health recommended that about 130 people connected to the school receive an evaluation, including a risk assessment and TB testing. The health department said the school will contact those who need evaluation, and that the individual with active TB is receiving treatment and is no longer considered contagious. Public Health also emphasized that TB is not easy to spread and typically requires repeated, extended exposure in a confined indoor setting.
Hospitals and clinics: new clues on telehealth and missed care
A UW Medicine news release highlighted findings published in JAMA Network Open based on Veterans Health Administration primary-care patients. Researchers tracked more than 700,000 veterans with three or more primary-care visits conducted in person or via video or phone.
The study found that patients with a low or moderate share of virtual visits had care quality comparable to those seen in person. But when telehealth made up more than half of a patient’s primary-care visits, the study associated that pattern with lower rates of certain services, including flu vaccination, statin adherence, and depression screening. Researchers noted that telehealth can remove barriers like transportation and time off work, and suggested that health systems may need clearer pathways to in-person services when those services are required.
Environmental health: Duwamish outreach focuses on toxic contamination
Public Health – Seattle & King County also spotlighted its Fun to Catch, Toxic to Eat program, which works with community fishers to share information about chemical contamination in the Duwamish River. Outreach staff emphasized that contamination is not visible in fish or shellfish and that health impacts can take time to appear.
On its safe-fishing guidance page, King County says salmon is the only seafood it considers safe to eat from the Duwamish River because salmon spend a short time in the waterway, while resident species can carry higher levels of toxic chemicals.
Sources
https://publichealthinsider.com/2026/02/24/tb-evaluation-at-rainier-beach-high-school/
https://newsroom.uw.edu/news-releases/high-use-of-telehealth-is-tied-to-care-gaps/
https://publichealthinsider.com/2026/02/25/what-i-learned-from-duwamish-river-fishers-portraits-of-public-health/
https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/environmental-health/healthy-water-air-soil/safe-fishing
