en English
ar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)en Englishfr Frenchde Germanja Japanesept Portugueseru Russianes Spanish

North Sound ACH

North Sound Accountable Community of Health

Archives for August 2021

Aug ’21 Partner Retreat

by

It was so great to ‘see’ you all on August 11 and 12! Spending a day focused on bright spots was enriching, and we ended the day with a reminder that the work isn’t done when we say we’re going to do something. We have to actually follow up and DO the work. (Watch the recordings on our YouTube page.)

When I think of how much has changed since I joined the ACH team in October 2016, it is telling. For those who don’t remember – getting certified as an ACH (2017), writing a Project Plan (2017), followed by an Implementation Plan (2018); setting up Scopes of Work with each partner organization and beginning the work on the ground (2019). We thought we knew what was at stake once we got to that point, but then COVID-19 jolted communities across the world. As a reminder, across the five counties our partners are:

  • tribal health centers
  • hospitals – large, medium and small
  • primary care clinics, including Federally Qualified Health Centers
  • pediatrics, oral health, reproductive health and other clinic settings
  • behavioral health and substance use disorder providers
  • local health jurisdictions
  • fire and EMS districts
  • community based organizations, including family resource centers, YMCAs, community action agencies, senior services providers

Knowing how busy you all are, we have a lot of gratitude that you carved out part of those two days for the retreat. On the second day we introduced the concept of a North Sound Collaborative Action Network. Based on conversations with you and others, we had drafted a set of common agreements that would ground the network. We’ve had questions and feedback since the Retreat, and will add the revised draft to our newsletter going out this week. Here is to the revised set of commitments for regional partners joining the Collaborative Action Network. There is still time to weigh in and make recommendations!

Thanks for all you do. Your dedication and passion in the work does not go unnoticed.

Land Acknowledgement at Peacehealth

by

It was 99 degrees in Bellingham a few weeks ago! That was unexpected, and yet not a total surprise. We’re learning a new language – mega-fires and giga-fires – based on the number of thousands of acres a wildfire has burned. All this while bearing the news of a disease variant that now encompasses more than half of new cases in the region for COVID-19.

We certainly hope that you are staying safe this summer, and can find spots to cool off when the weather is too warm. I heard that another heat dome might be headed our way, so prepare as best you can. 

I was honored and humbled to be invited to a special event at PeaceHealth hospital here in Bellingham on July 14 to honor the land upon which St. Joseph Medical Center sits. Partnering with Children of the Setting Sun Productions, PeaceHealth described a journey they embarked on about eight months ago to develop strong relationships with Indigenous communities through shared learning and land acknowledgement. 

From left: Michael Vendiola (Swinomish), Swinomish Tribe Education Director; Michaela Vendiola (Walker River Paiute and Swinomish), North Sound ACH Tribal and Community Liaison; Beth Boyd (Blackfeet and Sioux), Peacehealth Cancer Center Medical Social Worker/Care Manager; Dr. William Lombard, retired from PeaceHealth; Rachel Lucy, Peacehealth Director of Community Health; Lona Johnson (Nooksack), Nooksack Tribe Health Department Director; Candice Wilson (Lummi), Lhaq’temish Foundation Executive Director; Darrell Hillaire (Lummi), Children of the Setting Sun Productions Executive Director.
From left: Lona Johnson (Nooksack), Health Department Director – Nooksack Tribe; Michaela Vendiola (Walker River Paiute and Swinomish), Tribal and Community Liaison – North Sound ACH; Barbara Juarez (Lummi), Executive Director – Northwest Washington Indian Health Board; Liz Baxter, Executive Director – North Sound ACH; Candice Wilson (Lummi), Executive Director – Lhaq’temish Foundation.

The program was held outside on a beautiful, breezy day, under tall cedar trees. It also marked the first time I have been together with others outside of my family. It was a reminder of how much being together with others touches our souls and nourishes our spirits. A land acknowledgement statement is but one step on a long journey, and we hope that you and your organizations will step with us as we deepen relationships with tribal partners whose ancestors have inhabited this land since time immemorial.