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In her beautiful book The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer draws on the serviceberry to illustrate the gift economy – a more sustainable and interconnected way of living. In a gift economy, resources are shared not for profit, but to strengthen relationships and promote wellbeing. As we face profound challenges to our collective wellbeing, it’s this spirit of care that we are trying to cultivate. We invite you to email Community.Collaborative@doh.wa.gov and let us know how we can show up for you, amplify your work or provide support.
This newsletter includes:
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In our June meeting, Megan Matthews, Director of the Office of Equity, talked with community partners about the Office’s role in driving structural changes across state systems, and Jessica Todorovich, Interim Secretary of Health, provided federal and state updates impacting health. Missed the meeting? You can review meeting notes here.
Join us for our July 9 meeting, which will feature leaders from two of our Accountable Communities of Health, and the role that they play improving the health and wellbeing of their communities. We will also share federal budget updates and impacts on the health system.
♦♦♦ WE ARE HIRING! ♦♦♦
The Community Collaborative has a one-year role available through the Workforce Pathways program, which aims to recruit individuals who have lived or work experience with priority communities and never worked in the government or public health.
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https://beststartsblog.com/2025/06/16/now-accepting-applications-for-the-help-me-grow-rfp-apply-by-july-18/The new Youth Mental Health Fund (YMHF) will invest at least $15 million in grants over the next three years to expand access to community-based mental health care for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 12-24. Apply by July 10.
Best Starts for Kids has opened a Youth Healing Project RFP to fund projects during the 2025-2026 school year that aim to improve the mental health, healthy coping, harm reduction, connection, and well-being of young people. Funding is flexible and can be used for staffing, youth stipends or incentives, technology, materials, and events. Apply by July 17, 2025, at 5 p.m.
Best Starts for Kids is investing in Help Me Grow Family Connection Partners, who will connect families, parents, and caregivers to the services and resources they need in relational, culturally rooted, and accessible ways. Apply by July 18, 2025, at 12 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Commerce has grants available to support nonprofit organizations, including religious nonprofits and cultural community centers, who require physical security or repair because of their mission, ideology or beliefs. Appy by July 31, 2025.
Greater Health Now’s Connect2Everyone Grant Program is accepting applications from Aug. 1, 2025 until Sept. 30, 2025. Grants are available for Community Based Organizations to support and advance population health in Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima Counties, and the Yakama Nation. Funding amounts range from $50,000 to $75,000 for work including access to care, nutrition, social connection, and workforce development. Visit for more information and to apply by Sept. 30.
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Research shows that when patients of color see doctors who share their racial or ethnic background they have better healthcare experiences. Watch this inspiring video to see how Mission Africa is working to create a more diverse healthcare workforce in Washington State.
King County is hosting a free public health teen summer camp August 4-8 for teens who want to learn what public health is. Learn more and fill out the interest form here.
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Public Health Guide for Immigration Justice: Actions for Health Agencies to Advance Immigrant Justice and Community Safety is an action guide for anyone working in health, offering 10 practical actions to mitigate the health harms of immigration enforcement and support collective safety, dignity, and well-being.
How to Find a Loved One After a U.S. Immigration Arrest - NILC is a guide to assist in looking for someone who was taken by immigration officers and may be facing deportation. This guide is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Spanish.
Parental Rights Toolkit for Parents who may be Detained from the Women’s Refugee Commission contains information for detained and deported immigrant and undocumented parents to protect and maintain their parental rights and make well-informed decisions the care and welfare of their children. It is also beneficial for officials, attorneys, service providers, and family members who work with detained parents and their children. It is available in English and Spanish.
What to Do If You Are Detained: Essential Steps for Migrant Parents for Preventing Family Separation | Women's Refugee Commission is a fact sheet on what to do if one is detained and steps to prevent family separation. Available in English and Spanish.
Immigrant Safety Plan information and sample templates for the care of children from LCYC is a collective community resource to help parents plan for the care of children in the event that a parent is unable to care for their child, particularly if the parent is detained or deported. Available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Mam/Qyol Mam, and French.
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Other Community Resources |
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The Clark County Council is seeking volunteers to serve on the Clark County Accessible Community Advisory Committee or CCACAC. The advisory committee is tasked with advising policy makers on the needs of persons with disabilities both in general and in emergency planning. Contact Jordan.boege@clark.wa.gov if interested.
The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is recruiting for its Community Involvement Commission (CIC), which advises the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and other City departments on coordinated citywide outreach and engagement activities. Learn more and apply.
The Washington Statewide Reentry Council is recruiting to fill several open seats on the Council including faith-based organizations or communities and people with experience reentering the community after incarceration.
What do you think about Washington Thriving’s draft recommendations for expanding comprehensive prenatal-through-age-25 behavioral health offerings in Washington? Take the survey by June 30.
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WSPHA and WSALPHO are leading a Town Hall on Federal Actions & Impacts to WA Public Health tomorrow, June 27 at 10:00 a.m. Register here.
June 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Asian Pacific Cultural Center is hosting a free health screening fair in Tacoma, which will include heart murmur screening, a health resources booth, medication review with pharmacy team, and tuberculosis education and resources.
July 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Greater Health Now is hosting free training on Crucial Conversations at its Walla Walla Clinic. Sign up here.
July 16 at 9:30 a.m., Health in Partnership is hosting a virtual space for public health workers across sectors to explore how to use our collective power in defense of immigrant rights and community safety. Register for the session.
July 26 is the BIPOC Health & Wellness Fair from Abundance Health LLC which promotes healthier lifestyles and addresses healthcare disparities within the BIPOC community. Enjoy free health screenings, giveaways, music, and more. Learn more and register.
The Washington State Youth Empowerment Summit is on August 1, 2025 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A free, virtual event for high school students with disabilities, participants will learn about self-advocacy, disability justice, disability pride and combating ableism. Register by July 18, 2025 to attend.
The Latina Health Symposium will be held in three cities in September. It is a forum for Community Health Workers, public health professionals, community members and social service professionals to learn about and discuss health-related topics impacting Hispanic/Latina women. Safety is a priority. Learn more and register.
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Medicaid officials were ordered to hand over data to the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the information of people living in Washington state. Read Washington State Health Care Authority's statement on this use of Apple Health (Medicaid) client data.
In his June column, John Powell from the Othering & Belonging Institute at Berkeley writes about current policies and “whether we'll remember that our strength lies in our commitment to each other, to justice, and to the belief that everybody belongs, unconditionally.”
Team members from AHSHAY, King County and University of Washington write in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) about youth detention and incarceration facility closure attempts to inform ongoing attempts for facility closure in the Puget Sound and beyond.
The Commonwealth Fund has released its 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance to assess how well the health care system is working for people in every state in the areas of health care access and affordability, prevention, and treatment, avoidable hospital use and costs, health outcomes and healthy behaviors, and equity. Check out Washington’s rankings (overall # 7 of 50 states) and where our state needs to improve.
Review notes from the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities May meeting which featured Governor Ferguson’s new policy staff and a panel of community elders.
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“I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me."
Sojourner Truth
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Serviceberries remind us of the reciprocity that lies at the heart of a gift economy.
Copyright: Credit: Allison Dumas / Alamy Stock Photo |
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NOTE: We are working to find balance in the benefits and costs associated with translation. If you would like to share this or any part of this newsletter in another language, please email Community.Collaborative@doh.wa.gov and we will work with you to translate into the language(s) needed.
Estamos trabajando para encontrar un equilibrio entre los beneficios y costos asociados con la traducción. Si desea compartir esto o alguna parte de estos materiales en Español, por favor envíe un correo electrónico a Community.Collaborative@doh.wa.gov y trabajaremos con juntos con usted para traducir.
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