Community Driven Outreach Initiative
About the Community Driven Outreach Initiative
The state Department of Health's (DOH) Community Driven Outreach (CDO) Initiative started in November 2022 and concluded May 31, 2025. The initiative worked to help disproportionately impacted communities get equitable access to health information, resources, and vaccines while addressing the social determinants of health amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This work sought to build community capacity for long-term recovery and resilience to better position communities for future public health emergencies.
Using a braided funding approach and an equitable funding allocation methodology, $21 million was allocated to communities across the state through 10 community-based and social impact organizations with a network of more than 100 smaller community-rooted organizations.
DOH recognizes that community-led organizations and groups are better positioned and equipped to respond to community needs. Community-rooted and community-led organizations have a unique understanding of the importance of a trauma-informed approach, logistical and access barriers, context, cultural beliefs, risk perceptions, and norms, enabling them to create solutions that are relevant, inclusive, and supportive of multicultural experiences and backgrounds.
Learn more about DOH's Initiative to Address Health Disparities Across Washington State.
Priority Intersections:
- People living in rural areas
- People with disabilities
- Religious groups
- LGBTQ+ people
- People over 65 years old
- People adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality, including:
- People who are incarcerated
- Immigrant and refugee communities
- People with limited English proficiency
- Agricultural workers
- Unhoused people/people experiencing homelessness
Insights and learnings
Partnership Evaluation
From April 2024 through August 2024, CDO Initiative partner organizations participated in an evaluation to assess DOH's partnerships. This evaluation was facilitated by the UW Center for Anti-Racism and Community Health (ARCH).
Community Conversation Series
From April 2024 through June 2024, seven community conversations were held with CDO Initiative partners.
This report shares a summary of learnings, recommendations, and partner profiles.
Explore the community partner network map
Get to know CDO Initiative partners
See the geographic reach of partners and their priority communities.
- Statewide Reach
-
Priority Community: Asian
APartnership is an organization committed to serving the Asian community in collaboration with 18 partnered organizations throughout Washington state. The organization aligned with their partners on promoting COVID-19 awareness, reducing vaccination hesitancy, and addressing health inequities in the Asian community.
Read APartnership's community profile to learn more.
Priority Communities: Black/African American
Comagine Health is a national organization that employed the Community Health Worker model to empower African American communities to make informed health decisions, gain access to validated health resources and achieve health equity.
Read Comagine Health's community profile to learn more.
Desautel Hege (DH)
Priority Communities: Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
DH is a communications agency dedicated to reaching out to diverse populations throughout Washington state. The Department of Health partnered with DH to provide technical support to contracted community-based organizations in the design and development of culturally appropriate COVID-19 information and resources.
Read DH's community profile to learn more.
Health Commons Project (HCP)
Priority Community: African Diaspora
Health Commons Project is a nonprofit organization committed to closing health equity gaps in marginalized communities. HCP provided subgrants to African-led community-based organizations and community media outlets to support the design and implementation of education and engagement campaigns related to COVID-19.
Read HCP's community profile to learn more.
Momentum Professional Strategy Partners
Priority Communities: Black/African American
Momentum Professional Strategy Partners (Momentum) is a diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) firm committed to creating meaningful and lasting change among the Black/African American community. Momentum brings a community-centric approach to the provision of health education and community support, addressing the COVID-19 health disparities experienced by the Black/African American communities as well as those aged 65 and older, LGBTQIA+, those experiencing homelessness, incarcerated, and the youth across Pierce and King Counties.
- King County
-
Center for MultiCultural Health (CMCH)
Priority Communities: African Diaspora, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
Center for MultiCultural Health worked to improve equitable access, distribution, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, health information, and prevention resources within the African Diaspora as well as the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.
Read CMCH's community profile to learn more.
Priority Community: Hispanic/Latino
Centro Cultural Mexicano is an organization committed to empowering Hispanic/Latino communities and provided access to opportunities for basic needs, including housing and education, using media to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for mental health and COVID-19 prevention.
Read Centro Cultural Mexicano's community profile to learn more.
- Pierce County
-
Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC)
Priority Community: Asian, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
As a multicultural organization, Asia Pacific Cultural Center works to bridge communities and generations by serving the needs of refugees, immigrants, children, youth, low-income, elders, and seniors through arts, culture, education, and business. In addition to COVID-19 outreach and preventative services, the organization addressed other social determinants of health, including food and housing support services.
Read APCC's community profile to learn more.
Center for MultiCultural Health (CMCH)
Priority Communities: African Diaspora, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
Center for MultiCultural Health worked to improve equitable access, distribution, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, health information, and prevention resources within the African Diaspora as well as the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.
- Snohomish County
-
Center for MultiCultural Health (CMCH)
Priority Communities: African Diaspora, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
Center for MultiCultural Health worked to improve equitable access, distribution, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, health information, and prevention resources within the African Diaspora as well as the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.
Read CMCH's community profile to learn more.
Priority Community: Hispanic/Latino
Centro Cultural Mexicano is an organization committed to empowering Hispanic/Latino communities and provided access to opportunities for basic needs, including housing and education, using media to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for mental health and COVID-19 prevention.
Read Centro Cultural Mexicano's community profile to learn more.
Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW)
Priority Community: Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW) is a refugee-led, community-based nonprofit serving refugee, immigrant and migrant communities in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. Founded in 1977 to originally serve newly arrived Southeast Asian refugees, their mission has since evolved to help refugees, immigrants, migrants and other under-resourced communities achieve their potential to become self-sufficient, healthy, contributing members of society.
- Skagit and Whatcom counties
-
Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW)
Priority Community: Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander
Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW) is a refugee-led, community-based nonprofit serving refugee, immigrant and migrant communities in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. Founded in 1977 to originally serve newly arrived Southeast Asian refugees, their mission has since evolved to help refugees, immigrants, migrants and other under-resourced communities achieve their potential to become self-sufficient, healthy, contributing members of society.
- Yakima, Grant, and Adams counties
-
Yakima Valley Community Foundation (YVCF)
Priority community: Hispanic/Latino
Yakima Valley Community Foundation (YVCF) is dedicated to strengthening community capacity and ensuring equitable access to health care for Hispanic and Latino communities in Yakima, Adams, Grant, and Kittitas counties. Their work centered on three key areas: quality education, health and well-being, and civic vitality.
Contact us
To learn more about the CDO Initiative, please email the Community Investments and Engagement Team in the Center for Community Relations and Equity.