Pierce County data agreement aims to improve how homeless deaths are tracked

By: Cameron Sheppard

Outlets: The News Tribune

Published: February 16, 2026

Words: 1,246

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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After years of difficulty, Pierce County has made a change aimed at overcoming bureaucratic hurdles public health agencies said prevented them from reporting the number of individuals who died while experiencing homelessness in the region.

On Jan. 29, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) amended its data-sharing agreement related to death records with Washington State Department of Health to now include information on homelessness status at the time of death.

“This is a big step …

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