Announcements

Last fall the North Sound ACH Board of Directors asked for a set of strategies looking forward through 2026. We reached out to board members, partners and staff, asking what they saw when they pictured an organization that supported work to accelerate equity, wellbeing and belonging across the region. They shared ideas, challenges, and opportunities for what we called ‘the future state.’

At the June Board meeting we shared a continued commitment to use an equity lens to guide the work, including projects selected, contractors engaged, and use of dollars. The Board will be asked to approve the strategic direction later this year; in the interim we’d like your ideas on how a commitment to equity can be operationalized in our organization. What do you expect to change? What should we let go of, and in what areas should we be doing more?

We have been working with XPLANE, a firm that helps people visualize their vision, plans, and strategies, to create an image that represents the North Sound region and the ACH vision. You can click on this image to see it in larger scale. Does it give a sense of what drives our vision and values? This version is the final draft, so we have one more opportunity to refine it. Please share your thoughts and ideas by end of day September 14. Remember, all insights are helpful! You can email me at Liz@NorthSoundACH.org.

The Community HUB accepts referrals from medical and behavioral health providers, emergency departments, human services/social services, community based organizations, community health workers, and community members.  Until this point, referrals needed to be input via CCS (Care Coordination Systems), which requires organizations to register with CCS as a referral source. 

We have now made available a referral form that can be completed via our website, for  organizations not able to register with to make HUB referrals.  Visit this link to complete the form without registering with CCS.  Submitted forms will be reviewed by our staff and entered into CCS.  We have taken the appropriate measures to make sure information is secure and HIPAA compliant.

Individuals who meet HUB eligibility will be:
– On Medicaid or Medicaid-eligible.
– Resident of Island, San Juan, Snohomish, Skagit, or Whatcom county.
– Experiencing any of the following: Behavioral health and substance use concerns; chronic disease or pregnancy; Homelessness: Homeless at least one month during the year; High utilization across health care, emergency and/or criminal justice services. 

For more information on becoming a referral partner, click here.

NOTE: Submitting referrals via CCS is still the preferred method; the form on our website is intended for those who are not registered with CCS and may find registration a barrier to their referral.

North Sound ACH recently gained another team member! Even while we’re physically distant and working from home, we’re so excited to have Erica Littlewood join us as our newest Project Manager.

Erica Littlewood was born and raised in Washington state, before traveling extensively and living overseas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Whitman College, and a Master of Education Degree at Western Washington University. Erica moved to Bellingham over 30 years ago after living in China, and her work has always been in the non-profit and public sector. She was the director of an international exchange program at Western Washington University, then for the past 15 years worked as an educator in the fire service. Since mid-March, Erica has been working with Whatcom Unified Command as the Volunteer Branch Director, coordinating volunteers to support food security, COVID-19 testing, and other tasks in Whatcom County in response to the pandemic.

At North Sound ACH, Erica is will be using her skills in program management, communication, and coalition building as Project Manager, working specifically in care coordination: emergency department diversion, community paramedicine, and cross-sector collaboratives.

We’re thrilled to have her working with us! Welcome, Erica!

Please use these posters and graphics in your business or organization! Originally created by Olympic Community of Health, we want to encourage sharing these however possible.

Click on the images below to view all available pdfs in English and Spanish for printing or social media use. If you need assistance in printing these for your organization, please email us at team@northsoundach.org and we’ll do our best to help.

By Nicole Willis, North Sound ACH Chief Operations Officer

UPDATED 6/15: This post was written before Rashard Brooks was murdered by Atlanta Police on Friday, 6/12.

North Sound ACH is committed to being an action-oriented anti-racist organization. As we mourn the murder of George Floyd, our team is experiencing emotions ranging from anger to anguish. Our CEO Liz was the first person who told me about Mr. Floyd’s death. Expecting to see her smiling face on our daily Zoom check-in, I saw an expression of deep heartache. She apologized, “I’m sorry, I am a bit off. I think I just watched a black man die and all I could do was scream.” I can’t recall what we discussed the remainder of the meeting, but I do remember we sat virtually with each other while we processed yet another Black American killed by police brutality and racial injustice.

In the days that followed, we learned George Floyd was diagnosed with COVID-19 weeks before his murder. After surviving a disease which attacks the respiratory system, a disease that is decimating communities of color, what a tragedy that his life ended at the hands of law enforcement.  Some of his last words on May 25 were “I can’t breathe”.

Some have declared racism to be a public health crisis and as we watch the global anti-racism response, some declare that racism is a pandemic. It is not lost on me that the racism and COVID pandemics are intertwined in the most destructive and unjust ways. This is especially true for people of color that have been working the frontlines in healthcare, and the frontline workers who are enabling the economy to open back up again. We’ve read stories of Susie Chin Lee, Regina Lim Låee, Willa Lee, Guadalupe Olivera, Cora Howard, James Simpson and many more who worked in non-hospital settings, many aware of their exposure, yet committed to their livelihood and paid the ultimate price.

How can we use our privilege to respond to the current situation through our organizations? We first must take a hard and honest look at ourselves and our work, and ask:

• Are we part of a health system where institutional racism and individual discrimination exist?
• Are we using and publishing data that has and continues to marginalized people of color, indigenous people and LGBTQ+ people?
• Are we bearing witness to inequalities and injustice in COVID-19 response, reopening and recovery?

Direct action

North Sound ACH will begin in the next week:

1. Fund and advocate for equitable personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution for at-risk workers.
   • Inquire and ensure adequate PPE is available for all in congregate living and work settings, specifically farmworkers, assisted living facilities, homeless shelters, food processing centers, fisheries, childcare centers, food banks and community outreach workers.
   • Assess financial impact of required COVID testing among underinsured and uninsured workers.
     
2. Assess how Care Act funding decisions are being made and how funds are being equitably distributed.
   
3. Launch the Data Community for Change initiative.
   • This initiative will recruit novice to expert data minds throughout the North Sound region and beyond, to collaborate and learn how to analyze data for equity, improve race/ethnicity data collection, forecast COVID-19 impact on social determinants of health, and other ways to use data for change.

We are grateful to those who have already reached out to us to ask, “What can we do? What should we say?” We will continue to stay on this equity and justice journey with you, where we can listen and learn from one other.

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

Olympic Community of Health Stands in Solidarity

By Celeste Schoenthaler, Executive Director

We are grateful for other ACHs in the state also sharing statements. The following was sent to Olympic Community of Health’s mailing list on June 2.

As an organization, as a team, as human beings, we are deeply saddened and disturbed by the tragic death of George Floyd. Olympic Community of Health stands in solidarity with the Black community and all People of Color. There is pain, anger, and suffering within our home here in the Olympic region. We recognize that this outpour of frustration and grief is a response to the presence of oppression, violence, and racism that has existed in our nation and communities for centuries.

Olympic Community of Health aims to “tackle health issues that no single sector or Tribe can tackle alone”, which includes tackling systemic racism and discrimination. As a region, we are a part of a bigger community; We are impacted by our neighbors in Seattle and Minneapolis. The injustices that we see happening in our world are issues that can only be addressed if we learn from one another and come together in support of those who have had their voices silenced.

Olympic Community of Health is committed to learning from the many incredible communities in the Olympic region, learning about the presence of power, privilege, and oppression, while collaboratively working towards a future that supports the health and wellbeing of ALL communities. We encourage you to lean into any discomfort you many feel, have tough conversations, ask your neighbors, friends, and family how you can support them, and reach out if you need support.