Living in the in-between

The past twenty-four hours have brought snow, hail, rain, bright blue sky and tremendous winds. It must be getting close to spring, right?  

We held the first in-person partner convening in three years in January, and it was a mix of emotions – joy, passion, camaraderie, frustration, and challenge to do better and take more actions. New relationships were made, and I’ve already heard of small groups that are continuing to meet since their ‘open space’ discussions. We have almost twenty project submissions that have been submitted so far, and the Regional Projects Investments Support Committee (formerly called the Review Committee) is eager to start reviewing and approving them to move forward. 

For the past six years, one of the largest responsibilities that North Sound ACH has undertaken is a partnership with the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) to carry out its Medicaid Transformation Project – a federal waiver that allowed initiatives to flourish and grow to advance the health and well-being of people on Medicaid. It was an incentive-based agreement, and there were things that each region had to demonstrate in order to earn dollars for the region. And oddly, while the work is completed and there are no more deliverables, we will not receive the last of North Sound’s earnings until mid/late 2024.

That leaves us with unprecedented opportunities to imagine how we can invest dollars to advance equitable well-being across the region. That’s what we have been seeking from you in reporting, surveys, zoom discussions, and the partner convenings. Who could have envisioned that we’d be hearing demands to acknowledge historic and current oppression and harm, and learning a salsa dance in the hallway? Laughing at the joy of seeing people in real life, and feeling the discomfort of painful truths that must be learned and recognized. I have lived my life ‘in-between’ – visible and invisible, marginalized and in seats of privilege, access to leaders with power and had my voice muted. What we are asking members of the network to take part in will not happen in any single meeting. Movements rarely do. But I believe it will continue to grow, as we find space for those who are impatient and those who are so new they don’t know what the impatience is about. We can have joy and lean into discomfort in the same day, the same hour, the same meetings. We must. And, as we build trust and relationship it will become more clear just how far we can move this work forward. 

Another thing that the end of the (first) Medicaid waiver does for us, is provide a period of transition. Internally things are changing at North Sound ACH, and we will announce some of those changes in the upcoming newsletter. New and emerging leaders are stepping into roles that have been crafted because of your input. In the second quarter, we will be hosting a convening of DEI leads from across the Network (if interested, please fill out this survey), and planning for a region-wide Community Health Worker convening. 

I appreciate each and every person who shares their ideas with me and our team, even when you think we don’t want to hear what you’re saying – we do; and we incorporate what we learn into our upcoming planning. Throughout my career I’ve often said “I don’t need another someone just like me; I need someone who brings other perspectives, other experiences, other purviews – how else can I learn what I haven’t seen?” That’s what our team does, what you add to us and to each other, and I hope you will continue on this journey as we continue to make this region one where all feel they belong. 

Be well,