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North Sound ACH

North Sound Accountable Community of Health

Announcements

Agricultores Latinx Devuelven a la Comunidad

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Desde el comienzo de la pandemia de COVID-19, muchas familias e individuos han necesitado alimentos frescos y saludables. Los bancos de alimentos han visto una mayor necesidad de alimentos en las comunidades de los Estados Unidos y Canadá. El departamento de salud de Washington ha incluido cajas de alimentos en sus kit de cuarentena y aislamiento (North Sound ACH ayuda a coordinar Care Connect en nuestra región). 

Un reciente proyecto piloto en el valle de Skagit quería abordar a familias vulnerables afectadas por la pandemia, al igual que proporcionar alimentos culturalmente apropiados y nutritivos a los trabajadores agrícolas migrantes y a la comunidad Latinx.

Organizado por el Centro de Negocios del Noroeste (NABC, por sus siglas en inglés) en Mount Vernon, el gerente de proyecto Alex Perez se acercó a la Fundación Comunitaria de Skagit y el Centro para los trabajadores del campo de los Servicios Católicos Comunitarios (CSS, por sus siglas en inglés) para poner a prueba este proyecto único de distribución de alimentos en el 2020. North Sound ACH proporcionó recientemente asistencia financiera adicional para apoyar este proyecto, y la tercera distribución se completó en septiembre del 2021. Una distribución adicional organizada por North Sound ACH, NABA y CCS está prevista para noviembre de este año.

Alex Perez / NABC
Vanessa Diaz / North Sound ACH
Alex Perez / NABC
Alex Perez / NABC

“Durante los últimos años a través de nuestro trabajo de alcance, NABC se ha dado cuenta de muchos desafíos, barreras, y oportunidades que enfrentan los miembros de la comunidad Latinx, Hispana e Indígena Mexicanas” Perez dijo en un correo electrónico. “En respuesta a las necesidades urgentes en el acceso a alimentos que han sido exacerbadas por COVID-19, NABC organizó y coordinó con éxito los proyectos de distribución en Skagit County en el 2020. El año pasado se completó una gran cantidad de trabajo preliminar durante estos proyectos piloto y ahora existe una fuerte coalición y un valioso patrimonio establecido.”

NABC y socios comunitarios trabajaron con siete agricultores en el valle de Skagit para seleccionar productos orgánicos para las familias necesitadas los cuales incluyeron: pimientos, chiles, papas, maíz, tomates, y fresas.

Perez compartió, “Una razón por la que este proyecto fue necesario es porque varias familias de trabajadores agrícolas se han visto afectadas desproporcionadamente por la pandemia, ya que muchas no reciben recursos financiados por el gobierno. Este proyecto nos permite cerrar la brecha nutricional en los hogares de trabajadores agrícolas de bajos ingresos, al menos por un momento, ya que los alimentos proporcionados se cultivaron orgánicamente y localmente en el valle de Skagit con un suficiente valor nutricional en la variedad de los productos distribuidos.

“Además, los productos proporcionados provinieron de siete familias agrícolas Latinxs e Indígenas Mexicanas del valle de Skagit y el condado de Whatcom que se han visto afectadas desproporcionadamente por los efectos económicos de la pandemia de COVID-19. Este proyecto les proporciona una sola oportunidad de generar una fuente  de ingresos al comprarles una gran cantidad de sus productos cultivados localmente y orgánicamente a su valor de mercado.

“Por último, hay excelentes programas que también trabajan en abordar las desigualdades de las familias marginadas, como los bancos de alimentos y las colectas de alimentos. Sin embargo, muchos de nosotros no preguntamos ‘¿Se está proporcionando la comida culturalmente apropiada dentro de esta cultura en particular?’ Este proyecto tenía en mente esa pregunta y a las organizaciones que tenían como objetivo garantizar que los productos fueran culturalmente apropiados y aceptados dentro de las culturas, sus cocinas, y sus gustos. En lugar de proporcionar alimentos enlatados llenos de conservadores, nosotros podemos proporcionar productos locales, limpios, orgánicos frescos y ricos en su valor nutricional, y además cultivados por nuestros agricultores locales Latinxs e Indígenas Mexicanos.”

En septiembre, 115 familias recibieron estás cajas de alimentos frescos. “Las reacciones de estas familias han sido fenomenales, preguntaron si estamos haciendo esto todos los meses o todas las semanas. Se sorprenden al ver tantas de las verduras con las que les encanta cocinar para hacer salsas tradicionales, salsas picantes, o sopas,” Perez dijo en un correo electrónico. “Los agricultores participantes también están llenos de alegría con estos proyectos, ¡ya que pueden compartir sus deliciosos productos localmente con mucho orgullo!”

Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) ayuda a los agricultores a establecer nuevas empresas, y ayuda a que los negocios existentes sean más rentables, proporcionando viabilidad empresarial, orientación en la  planificación e implementación, conexiones con mercados, ofrece capital y acceso a otros recursos. 

Este proyecto fue posible gracias a Martha Martínez y Guillermina Bazante de CSS Farmworker Center, quiénes se comunicaron y coordinaron con las familias de trabajadores agrícolas Latinxs, Hispanas, e Indígenas Mexicanas del condado; Alex Perez, Juan Morales, y Daniella Silva del NABC; el equipo de North Sound ACH; y muchos otros.

Building a Regional Network – Together

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North Sound ACH is launching a learning, advocacy, and action network, open to all community members and organizations seeking to advance a just and inclusive culture and the necessary conditions required for all community members to thrive. Together, we will provide the assets, influence, and leadership for the what we are calling the Collaborative Action Network. 

North Sound ACH was founded in 2015 by regional leaders from five counties and eight tribal nations, to be a table where collective learning, planning, and decision-making could occur, crossing traditional jurisdictional boundaries to tackle issues that impact health, believing that across this region, people are more connected than we are separate. 

Advancing equity, well-being, and a sense of belonging are fundamental elements of the regional work, and we are using the framework of targeted universalism to shape and inform planning, actions, decision making, and capacity building. Leveraging investments earned through the state’s Medicaid Transformation Project, North Sound ACH is seeing areas where capacity investments are critically needed.

Anyone — individuals or organizations — can join this network and become engaged in making the North Sound region a place where people can thrive, and the assets are organized to help make that happen. 

We are excited at how partners are responding so far, and grateful to all who sent us ideas to improve the language from the first draft. We hope to publish the cohorts in the coming weeks, and we know that one level of engagement may not fit all partners or cohort areas. We are aiming for a structure that allows you to see current and emerging cohorts, and consider where you and your organization wants to start.

Please contact Team@NorthSoundACH.org if you have questions or would like to join the Network!

Latinx Farmers Give Back to the Community

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Many families and individuals have needed fresh and healthy food since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food banks have seen increased need from communities across the U.S. and Canada, and the Washington Department of Health has included food boxes in their quarantine and isolation kits (North Sound ACH helps coordinate Care Connect in our region).

A recent pilot project out of Skagit Valley wanted to address vulnerable families impacted by the pandemic, as well as provide culturally-appropriate and nourishing food to migrant farmworkers and the Latinx community.

Organized by the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) in Mount Vernon, Project Manager Alex Perez approached the Skagit Community Foundation and Catholic Community Service (CCS) Farmworker Center to pilot this unique food distribution project in 2020. North Sound ACH recently provided additional assistance and the third distribution was completed in September 2021. An additional distribution organized by North Sound ACH, NABC, and CCS is planned for November.

From left, Juan Morales (NABC), Vanessa Diaz (North Sound ACH), Marta Martinez and Guillermina Bazante (Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center), and Alex Perez (NABC). Photo courtesy Alex Perez.

“For the past several years through our outreach work, NABC has become aware of many unique challenges, barriers and opportunities facing members of the Latinx, Hispanic, and Mexican Indigenous communities,” Perez said in an email. “In response to urgent food access needs exacerbated by COVID-19, NABC successfully organized and coordinated two food distribution projects in Skagit County in 2020. A great deal of groundwork was completed during these pilot projects last year and a strong coalition and valuable network is now in place.” 

NABC and partners worked with seven farmers in Skagit Valley to select organic produce for the families in need, including: peppers, chilies, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and strawberries.

Perez shared, “One reason this project was necessary is because several farmworker families have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, as many do not receive government funded resources. This [project] allows [us] to close the gap in nutritional value for low-income earning farmworker households, at least for a brief moment, as the food provided was locally and organically grown in the Skagit Valley with sufficient nutritional value found in the variety of produce that was given.

“Secondly, the produce provided came from seven Latinx and Mexican Indigenous farming families from Skagit Valley and Whatcom County, who have disproportionately been affected by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project provided a one-time source of income by purchasing a large amount of their locally and organically grown produce, at their market value.

“Lastly, although there are several great programs that also work to address the inequities for marginalized families such as food banks and food drives, many of us do not ask, ‘is the food being provided culturally appropriate within this particular culture?’ This project had that question in mind and the organizations aimed to ensure that the produce was culturally appropriate and accepted within the culture’s cuisine and kitchen tastes. Rather than providing long-lasting canned food full of preservatives, we were able to provide clean, organic, fresh local produce rich in nutritional value, grown by our local Latinx and Mexican Indigenous Farmers.”

In September, 115 families were served with these fresh food boxes. “The reactions from these families have been phenomenal, they asked if we are doing this every month or every week. They are shocked  to see so many of the vegetables that they love to cook with to make traditional sauces, hot sauce or soups,” Perez said via email. “The participating farmers are also filled with joy with these projects, they get to share their delicious produce locally with a lot of pride!”

Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) helps farmers establish new enterprises, and helps make existing businesses more profitable, by providing business feasibility, planning and implementation guidance, connections to markets and capital, and access to resources. 

This project was made possible by Marta Martinez and Guillermina Bazante of CCS Farmworker Center, who communicated and coordinated with Latinx/Hispanic and Mexican Indigenous Farmworker Families from the county; Alex Perez, Juan Morales, and Daniella Silva of NABC; the team at North Sound ACH; and many others.

Migrant Youth Photo Project

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A photography project featuring migrant farmworker youth in Skagit Valley has been shown in galleries in New York, Portland, and Seattle, and will be featured in the Mexican Consulate’s virtual MEXAM NW Festival during Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15).

North Sound ACH Project Manager Marco Morales was one of the organizers of the project, along with the students in the Migrant Leaders Club at Mount Vernon High School, Underground Writing in Mount Vernon, and photographer Marilyn Montufar. She approached Morales, wanting to document migrant youth experience during COVID-19.

“The project bridges photography with youth writing to address how Latinx communities have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of resources, healthcare accessibility, and language barriers,” according to Montufar’s interview with the Frye Museum.

Morales shared that this club had previously published two books written by past students, reflecting on their experiences growing up as children of migrant farmworkers. Morales, Underground Writing, Montufar, and this year’s students will host a panel event at the MEXAM NW Festival, to talk about their project, on October 7 at 6 p.m. PST. Register to attend the panel here.

You can view the photographs and the essays at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery which hosted the Neddy at Cornish exhibition, and in the Frye Museum’s blog.

Marilyn Montufar photographs one of the Mount Vernon student-writers in early 2021. Marco Morales / North Sound ACH

Post Retreat Reflections

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Update: Liz hosted a discussion session on September 15 with many current and interested partners to review the updated compact, linked here. Watch the full discussion, and a highlight version here.

The summer 2021 Partner Retreat was one of our most important yet, as North Sound ACH and partners embark on a new journey together. When North Sound ACH was first established and united more than 60 partner organizations together under the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP), that way of collaborating was new too.

Our focus for the summer 2021 retreat was to share bright spots over the last year, and introduce new projects and a future framework, particularly a set of agreements for a collaborative action network. 

Attendees shared many wonderful stories of innovation and silver linings, such as the mobilization of telehealth at the beginning of the pandemic. A rep from Planned Parenthood said they had been talking about implementing telehealth for two years, but when COVID hit, they were able to enact the technology in nine days, with the help of North Sound ACH.

From the post-event survey, the majority agreed that collaboration and sharing of bright spots in small groups was the highlight of the first day. Participants shared that hearing from other organizations about their projects helped them feel connected, hearing about the happiness created when we serve others even during challenging times.

Christine Sundholm from Ideal Option said collaboration is what she finds most exciting, “pushing” herself to find collaborations where she may not usually look for it. They have begun working with Safeway as a way to reduce barriers and get their addiction treatment services to folks.

Rosalinda Guillen from Community 2 Community has been working in Whatcom and Skagit counties to bring attention to issues impacting farmworkers and their families for decades, and said having people of color working at and leading North Sound ACH was important for her and the Promotoras working on the ground to feel comfortable reaching out and collaborating.

On August 11, North Sound ACH also introduced a new learning and knowledge platform to accompany resources on our website. Through a tour of the site, partners saw the start of a curated library of resources, an interactive and participatory site to explore and discover new knowledge. This site is open for anyone to browse and suggest resources to build the library!

The second day we dove into the proposed set of agreements for the next stage in our collaborative action network, what we’re referring to as a regional compact. Liz Baxter, North Sound ACH, Allan Fischer, United Healthcare, Glenn Puckett, Delta Dental, and Ben Young, C3 Coalition, led a discussion telling the story of where the ACH started, the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP), and more than 18 months planning next steps into the future.

The compact, revised since being shared in draft form, includes a set of commitments, guiding principles, and our framework for creating change. Small group discussions followed about the proposed agreement, and surfaced questions about next steps from attendees.

Many attendees were excited for a path to continue their work in equity. Partners want some assurance that the things they work on are the things that are valued by people accessing services, and they want to look for new ways to bring the ‘table’ to others, instead of only inviting others to a table that already exists.

Others asked how this could help create support for regional partners working in similar areas, for example Community Resource Paramedics in fire and EMS departments. Workforce capacity came up quite a bit — reflecting how much workloads have increased due to COVID-19, and organizations are feeling stretched to commit staff to new areas.

Everyone wants to know about funding — what will it look like without the structure of the MTP? 

Partners shared their own stories of how North Sound ACH was able to provide quick financial support for COVID-19 response, how smaller agencies and organizations often seen as “statistically insignificant” to a lot of funders feel recognized and supported by North Sound ACH, and partners want access to flexible, responsive funding to continue.

While partners asked about sustainability of funding, this is what the Board has grappled with for 18 months, resulting in approval of the future state (shared with partners in February 2021.) We know how critical discussions are around available dollars, but there is a lot that has been accomplished with no funds – the distribution of two million masks for example. 

Our belief is that a regional entity that is focused on capacity building, bringing partners together to learn and act, and bringing investors to the region is a compelling role for North Sound ACH. Liz asked partners for patience around the funding question, which we know is hard for everyone. But until we know what partners are willing to do, and have the capacity to take on, it’s hard to talk about dollars. Dollars alone won’t fill empty positions or help ease the burden of stressed staffing.

This fall there will be one-on-one meetings with each interested organization to talk about what happens next as we look toward 2022. We’re no longer captive in the MTP project box, but there are opportunities ahead in partnership with the Health Care Authority and the Department of Health – but like the past five years, the ACH doesn’t do the work alone, it is in partnership with you.  

New and current partners are encouraged to set up a meeting with North Sound ACH leadership to ask questions about the compact and learn about the different levels in which they can be involved.

We ended our session on August 11 with a poem that was shared by Candice Wilson, Executive Director of the Lhaq’temish Foundation. Powerful words, pushing us to not just say what we are committed to, but to actually show our commitments in actions as we look forward. We’ll share it here, and hope you will join us on the next phase of our journey toward making North Sound a region where all community members feel they are nourished, connected, safe and can experience well-being. 

We look forward to next steps with you!

Tribal Relations of the North Sound Accountable Community of Health

Candice Wilson – Lhaq’temish Foundation

How accountable are you as a partner?
To foster change, to be the catalyst of hope and prosperity
To create space to grow, to be a trusted convenor
Do you acknowledge Coast Salish People? Or do you just say you do? 
Do you know where the Lhaq’temish territory is? Or do you even know who the Lhaq’temish people are?
Can you name the eight tribes of the North Sound? Or do you just know some of the tribes?
Are you a catalyst for change in Tribal communities? Or do you just think you are?
Do you invest in sharing resources with Tribal communities? Or do you just work with what you got?
Do you know about any of the elevating or emerging issues in Tribal communities? Or do you just wait for someone else to bring it up?
Do you foster informed action with Tribal communities? Or do you wait for them to do something?
Do you build capacity with Tribal communities? Or do you just connect within your network?
Here’s how you can be that change, because being different makes the difference:
Acknowledge Lhaq’temish territory
Since time immemorial, Lhaq’temish people are people of the sea
Honor Tribal sovereignty
Lummi
Nooksack
Samish
Sauk-Suiattle
Stillaguamish
Swinomish
Tulalip
And Upper Skagit
Treaty Rights
Point Elliott Treaty
The Treaty of Mukilteo
Sharing resources
Government to Government
The trust responsibility is between the United States and Tribal Nations
Civil society
Self-governance, self-determination, and sovereignty
Elevating and emerging issues
National Congress of American Indians
U.S. Department of Interior
Informed action
Civic engagement
Census
Voting
Tribal endorsements
Local elections
Building capacity
Northwest Washington Indian Health Board
Northwest Indian College
Northwest Indian College Foundation
Lummi Community Financial Development Institution
White Swan Environmental
Se’Si’Le
Children of the Setting Sun Productions
Lhaq’temish Foundation
What will these outcomes be?
Targeted Universalism
We belong
Restore health and wellness in Tribal communities, and revitalize the teachings and traditions of the people
Che Shesh Whe Wheleq Sen* 
Hy’shqe Siam**
Thank you

*we come from survivors of the great flood” in Xwlemi Chosen (Lummi language)
**Thank you, respected people” in Xwlemi Chosen

Welcome new staff members!

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North Sound ACH continues to expand the team! We welcomed three people this month, and promoted two staff to new roles. 

In August we welcomed: 

  • Natalie Esparza as the Communications Coordinator. They bring five years experience in creating new and innovative ways in connecting information and resources to those who wouldn’t normally see or pay attention to it.
  • Marco Morales as Rural Health Project Manager, having most recently worked in Mount Vernon Schools as a Migrant Graduation Specialist and at Northwest Educational Service District 189 as an Educational Advocate. 
  • Rocio Castillo-Foell as Workforce and Health Education Project Manager. Rocio has nearly two decades of experience in public health, health education, and community engagement, including campaigns for disease prevention, health promotion, and the operation of informative health workshops in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Read more about Natalie, Marco, and Rocio, and the rest of our staff bios here.

Two team members also advanced into new roles: 

Vanessa Diaz, an administrative associate since 2019, is now Project Manager for COVID response. “I am excited and looking forward to being able to serve the North Sound Region in a greater capacity. The collaborations between North Sound ACH, and community partners is essential to moving the work forward.”

Heather McGuinness, a Project Manager at North Sound ACH since 2017, is now the Public Health Liaison. “I am honored to take on this role after four years at North Sound ACH. I’ll be collaborating with local health jurisdictions, state agencies and others, to ensure that efforts to advance equitable well-being across the region are aligned. This is a key part of ‘what’s next’ for North Sound ACH, as we move beyond the Medicaid Transformation Project and grow into a learning, advocacy, and collaborative action network.”

We’re excited to keep growing such an amazing team. Join us in congratulating them in their new roles!