Health Ministers Meeting

We aren't meeting this month. We’ll take this time to celebrate our Health Ministers and all their great work this year for Black families in Pierce County. Questions? Contact Taleema Love.

Couldn’t attend the November Health Minister’s meeting? Read the highlights here.

Family Resources

Learning programs

• Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center has opened enrollment for full day (6 hours) and extended day (10 hours) their Early Child Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). Learn more.

Family activities

• Pierce County Library System offers a calendar full of events for kids and families. These are a few great programs for parents with young children:
  • Virtual baby and toddler time—every Monday at 10 a.m.
  • Move to learn—every Monday at 11 a.m.
  • Family storytime with Miss B, Mr. Bob and Miss Holly—every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
  • Click or tap for more events.
• Find all sorts of useful information and family activities at Tacoma Public Library’s kids & families web page and register for unique craft projects or special events.

Food

• Food tasting is back! Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) offers online nutrition classes for families and children. Learn more and register.

Healthcare

• Do you need health coverage? Shop, compare and sign up for Washington Healthplanfinder. Sign up or change health plans for 2022. If you want coverage to begin Jan. 1, you must enroll in a plan by Dec. 15. If you enroll after Dec. 15 but before Jan. 15, your coverage will begin Feb. 1.

Pregnancy support

• Do you know your basic rights as a Black birthing individual? The National Association to Advance Black Birth recognizes those rights through the development of the Black Birthing Bill of Rights. Knowledge is power—empower yourself!
• Pregnant? Nursing a child? Find out what you should know about COVID-19 vaccine. English | Spanish.

Parenting

• Dad’s Connect is a great opportunity to meet other dads, form relationships and make connections. Have a conversation with fathers and father figures. Learn more and register for a session:

• Dec. 15, 6:30-8 p.m.
• Feb. 16, 6:30-8 p.m.
• April 20, 6:30-8 p.m.
• June 15, 6:30-8 p.m.
• Aug. 17, 6:30-8 p.m.

COVID-19

• Testing plays an important role in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Visit our testing page for more information on Pierce County testing sites.
• Director of Health Dr. Anthony L-T Chen issued a countywide mask order. If you’re 5 or older, you must wear a face covering indoors in public spaces and outdoors in crowds of 500 or more people. It applies whether you’re vaccinated or not. Gov. Jay Inslee also extended the state’s mask order to require masks be worn indoors in public spaces regardless of vaccination status. Read more.

• Everyone in Washington 5 years or older is eligible to get COVID-19 vaccine.

Behavioral Health

• The Family, Youth and Community Outreach and Education Strategies (FYCOES) program helps youth and their families address challenges like family conflict and anger management. FYCOES uses research to implement effective ways to help people prevent and solve problems. They identify behaviors to change, then support and coach youth to make and maintain positive change.
• Beacon Health Options Pierce Region’s Recovery Navigator Program is up and running! Connect with Case Managers at Pierce County Alliance (West Pierce County) and Recovery Café Orting (East Pierce County). The Recovery Navigator Program is a diversion program designed in response to ESB 5476 (Blake) Bill. Referral forms:
  • Community-based or social contacts (Pierce County Alliance).
  • Law enforcement (Pierce County Alliance).
  • Recovery Café Orting.

Employment

• United States Postal Service (USPS) is hiring. Learn about current career opportunities.
• Washington State Department of Health is hiring. Learn about current job opportunities.
• Hire Pierce County—Next Gen Edition (HPC—NextGen) matches Pierce County young adults, with businesses to intern up to 30 hours per week (up to 16 weeks) for $15 per hour. HPC—NextGen runs through June 30, 2022.
• Washington Early Childhood Policy Fellowship (ECP Fellowship) seeks an inaugural Executive Director.
• Children’s Alliance is seeking a staff person to complement and support the ELAA Director during the 2022 legislative session. Submit a letter of interest describing qualifications to job@childrensalliance.org.
• New Adventures Children’s Center at MultiCare Health System is hiring all Early Learning Teacher positions. Learn about current job opportunities. Questions? Contact Kara Cornforth.
• The Maternal Coalition is hiring a Program Coordinator to partners across the organization to propel its work. They encourage People of Color and those who have experienced systematic marginalization to apply.
• Do you dream of owning your own business? Enterprise for Equity wants to support your journey to entrepreneurship. Join an upcoming workshop or event and take advantage of this wonderfully unique opportunity.
• Learn about Pierce County’s Early Childhood Education and Assist Program (ECEAP) job opportunities:
  • Family Educator 2.
  • Family Educator 4.
  • Family Educator 1 (Assistant Teacher).
  • Classroom Assistant.
  • Family Support Worker.
• Learn about Perinatal Support Washington’s employment opportunities:
  • Warm Line Program Specialist.
  • Parent Resilience Specialist Serving Spanish-Speaking/Latinx Families.
  • Perinatal Mental Health Therapists.
  • Perinatal Mental Health Supervisors.
  • Perinatal Mental Health Trainers.
• Tacoma Public Schools is hiring and offering hiring bonuses to fill key positions. Learn more about current positions/hiring bonuses:
  • Nurses ($5,000).
  • LPNs ($3,500 for licensed).
  • Bus drivers ($3,500 for CDL Class B certified, $2,500 for non-CDL Class B certified).
  • Paraeducators ($500).
  • Bus monitors ($500).
  • Nutrition services ($500). No high school diploma or GED required. District offering incentives to obtain GED.
  • Noon-hour supervisors ($250).
  • School support / contract tracing ($250).

Get involved

• Give a little, help a lot! Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center (MCFHC) hosts Giving Tuesday, a fundraising campaign to purchase a refrigerator box truck. Watch MCFHC Giving Tuesday 2021 and learn how you can support families in our community. Want to help? Donate now!
• Join the Engagement Team Meeting at Project Child Success the fourth Monday each month, 3-4:30 p.m. The team leads the communication, marketing and promotion of special projects and programs.
• Join the Advocacy Team Meeting at Project Child Success the fourth Tuesday each month, 9:30-11 a.m. The team aims to educate the public and fight for systems and policies that support children and families.
• Join the Child Care Strategies Team at Project Child Success the fourth Friday each month, 1-2:30 p.m. This is a cross-sector group of people who commit to providing Pierce County families with access to high-quality, equitable, culturally inclusive childcare. Email to join.
• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Potentially Preventable Hospitalization (PPH) initiative will host PPH Learning Collaborative Sessions. Beginning March 2023, you can join 4 learning sessions on the 3^rd Thursday of each month, 2-3:30 p.m. Each time you participate in the Zoom session and complete the pre and post-quiz, you’ll receive a $20 online gift card. Learn more and register.

Professional Resources

Training opportunities

• Learn how a health equity taskforce in Kansas helped mobilize services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign up for Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds. Earn free CEs through Oct. 5, 2023.
• Laced & Lethal developed a new toolkit for partners and community members that includes insightful tips, materials and resources for community education. Join Addressing the Fentanyl Crisis: An Evidence-Based Toolkit, Dec. 7, 1-2 p.m. Learn about the fentanyl crisis, explore the Laced & Lethal campaign materials and learn how to use the toolkit to reduce overdoses in your community.
• Dec. 8, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., join Culture as Medicine: Healing Through Connection. Learn about cultural healing and opportunities for holistic wellness.
• Returning for a sixth season of engaging dialogue, the Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change series features folks across family-facing fields who explore the current and emerging issues children and families deal with today. Join Indigenous Wisdom for Listening to Children and Families Wednesday, Dec. 8 at noon.
• Upcoming trainings by Best Starts for Kids:
  • Interrupting Systemic Habits and Practices by Examining Bias—Look at 10 areas of bias, how privilege is used, and the impact of potential power, dominance, and oppression:
    • Thursday, Dec. 9, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
    • Thursday, Dec. 9, 1:30–4:30 p.m.
  • It Takes A Village—It takes a village to raise a child, but what does it take to create a village? What does a village look like to you? Explore teambuilding in a whole new way and examine your “perfect village”:
    • Friday, Dec. 10, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
    • Friday, Dec. 10, 1:30–4:30 p.m.
  • Anti-Biased Practice Towards Children who have Experienced Trauma—Learn practical tools to raise awareness and reduce implicit bias:
    • Wednesday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
    • Monday, Dec. 20, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
  • Join the Interagency Fatherhood Council Dec. 9 at 11:30 a.m. for Improving the Lives of Boys and Men of Color. Learn about the gender-specific cycle of intergenerational disadvantage and how that cycle can be interrupted. Adopting a two-generational approach by tying interventions together that change outcomes for children and parents simultaneously can tackle disadvantages.
  • Join Perinatal Support Washington Dec. 10, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for a FREE virtual training for Pierce County providers. Learn about how to implement compassionate perinatal mental health screening and referral.
  • Opioid Response Network (ORN) is hosting a 2-day, virtual training: Providing Peer Based Recovery Support Services for Pregnant and Parenting Families. In addition, ORN will host a 2-day Training of Trainers (ToT) to build national capacity around this important topic:
    • Jan. 4-5, 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (Virtual training)—Prepare peer recovery support specialists to meet the diverse needs of pregnant and parenting families in early recovery.
    • Jan. 25-26, 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (ToT)—Master trainers will prepare participants to teach the curriculum.
  • Register here Perinatal Support (neoncrm.com)Join Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) for FREE virtual Home Visitor trainings. (Note: Safety Planning with Families is for people who have already attended the Domestic Violence Training.):
    • Jan. 13, 2022, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
    • April 7, 2022, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
  • ECHO Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Wraparound connects community healthcare providers with children and young adults with IDD behavioral health specialists. To join, you must commit to 90-minute learning sessions on the second and fourth Wednesday monthly, 8:30-10 a.m. Learn more. Questions? Contact echoiddd@uw.edu.

Funding opportunities

• 4Culture’s recovery fund opens Jan. 5. It’s available to artists and cultural producers who live in unincorporated King County. Look for grant guidelines and application at 4culture.org/covid-19. 4Culture offers opportunities for other kinds of cultural funding and support in King County throughout the year.
• Are you a Black/African American first-time pregnant person seeking a doula? The Dove Black Birth Equity Fund Grant can help. Baby Dove commits to help close the gap in care and health outcomes for Black expecting mothers, birthing individuals and their babies. The Black Birth Equity Fund will provide immediate care to expecting Black moms and birthing individuals by increasing access to doulas as critical supports in the birthing journey.
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will release 2 new funding opportunities to support training to expand the public health workforce. HRSA tentatively scheduled funding opportunities for February 2022. Get HRSA notifications to learn about funding opportunity updates.
• Search grants for Community Health Workers or the Public Health Scholarship Program (PHSP).
• Do you operate a school, childcare center or summer meal program? Get funds to use Washington-grown foods in child nutrition programs! Apply now through Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. for the Farm to School Purchasing Grant! Questions? Contact mailto:farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov or (206) 714-2757.
• The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) announced licensed and certified childcare providers can apply for the Child Care Stabilization Grant. Apply in the Compass Provider Portal by June 30 at 11:59 p.m. If you’re a license-exempt Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) provider, apply on the DCYF FFN Stabilization Grant website. Questions? Email dcyf.stabilizationgrant@dcyf.wa.gov.

Get involved

• Perinatal Support Washington is offering clinic consultation to providers in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties:
• Black mental health clinicians—Dec. 16.
• Latinx/Spanish-speaking mental health clinicians—Dec. 14.
• Effective Jan. 1, Washington State’s new law, SSB 5195, goes into effect. It concerns prescribing opioid overdose reversal medication. The law requires behavioral health agencies and hospitals to prescribe or distribute naloxone to patients at risk of opioid overdose. Attend a 2-part webinar series to learn more:
• Part 1: Implementation Overview of SB 5195 for WA Behavioral Health Agencies, Dec. 8 at noon.
• Part 2: Clinical Considerations for WA Behavioral Health Agencies Implementing SB 5195, Dec. 15 at noon.

Find more family and professional resources here.