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The Health Care Authority (HCA) is pleased to announce our new newsletter, Equity Edition. In each edition, we'll share information about our health equity and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) efforts. Part of our newsletter will also provide updates on our Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) work.
But before we dive into the updates, let's talk about equality and equity.
In a nutshell, no. The graphic below illustrates the difference between the two. Equality is when everyone gets the same thing, which benefits some. Equity is when everyone gets what they need, which benefits all.
 Graphic showing difference between equality, where plants all get the same thing, and equity, where plants are getting what they need.
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In 2022, Governor Inslee directed government agencies to implement Executive Order 22-04: Implementing the Washington State PEAR Plan & Playbook. The Washington State Office of Equity supports this work. Read their toolkit.
The purpose of PEAR is to foster an environment that creates belonging and establishes a pro-equity and anti-racist culture for HCA employees and the people we work with and serve.
PEAR is part of our agency's overall health equity work.
HCA's PEAR Community Advisory Team (CAT)
PEAR CAT began meeting in the summer of 2022. This group is made up of individuals and community-based organizations that represent many of Washington’s diverse populations and communities. PEAR CAT members play a key role in informing our health equity strategies, community engagement activities, and sharing their personal/lived experiences on how HCA’s programs and services impact them and their community.
If you're interested in serving as a PEAR CAT member, please contact us at hcaequity@hca.wa.gov.
PEAR video
HCA's PEAR Statement video—featuring Deputy Director Lou McDermott, Health Equity Director Quyen Huynh, and Employee Resources Director Robin Vazquez—covers the concrete steps we’re taking to implement PEAR.
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Applying a health equity lens
One focus is applying a health equity lens to our work. Applying an equity lens means to evaluate the impacts of our job functions, policy, or program by considering things like race, ethnicity, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disabilities, income levels, education, housing status, residential locations, and language abilities.
The Health Equity Lens Toolkit is a key tool and resource we're using to apply a health equity lens to our work. Examples include:
- For the upcoming 2024 legislative session, our agency will use the toolkit when analyzing legislative bills. This will help ensure proposed bills (and eventually passed legislation) work to improve health outcomes for all people in Washington. The toolkit helps consider:
- The intended and unintended outcomes of a bill
- The health disparities and health inequities that currently exist around the issue being addressed in the bill
- How and which communities were involved in/consulted on the creation of the bill
- Tribal implications
- And others
- Staff are applying the toolkit to their work. The toolkit helps staff think through how a program or policy impacts communities and regions, eligibility, access to health care, and much more.
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Video for nurse leaders
Watch the video to learn what the Washington Center for Nursing, HCA, and some nurse leaders are doing to advance health equity across Washington State.
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The spotlight is a feature that recognizes an individual, program, or effort at HCA that is advancing health equity.
Black Infant Health program
This powerful program focuses on improving the health of Black and African American individuals and their babies during and after pregnancy. It’s a unique and strong partnership between Black and African American churches, pastors, Health Ministers, community groups, public health nurses, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Department of Health, and HCA. Read this spotlight.
HCA's Plain Talk program
We're striving to improve the lives of people with visual disabilities, behavioral health challenges, and whose primary language is not English by making information easier to understand. Read this spotlight.
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Health equity is a core value of HCA. To us, health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
HCA's vision is that we embody a culture in which we openly recognize health inequities and are empowered to work together, and with the people we serve, to reduce inequities through fair and equitable distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.
Visit our health equity page.
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