Washington's Health Equity Zones
Zone Updates and Information
Zone for Native Communities
June 2024
Submissions for the state’s Health Equity Zone for Native Communities closed on June 9, 2024. The Indigenous Advisory Panel working with the HEZ Initiative plan to review submissions during Summer 2024 and to select the zone at the end of the summer.
April 2024
The submission form closing date was extended to June 9, 2024 to allow more time for communities to apply.
A letter was sent to Tribal Leaders and Tribal Partners sharing this closing date extension for the Zone for Native Communities.
March 2024
The submission form for the Zone for Native Communities opened on March 18th! Go to the Open Submissions page on this site to see more information.
A letter was sent to Tribal Leaders and Tribal Partners sharing the opening of the submission form for the Zone for Native Communities.
February 2024
Native community representatives on the Community Advisory Council formed a Zone for Native Communities Subcommittee to develop submission guidelines, which includes a zone definition, eligibility criteria, and selection process. The subcommittee invited input on the selection process from Native leaders in Washington and led recruitment of a review panel reflective of Tribal and Urban Native communities from across the state.
In March, 2024, the Health Equity Zones Initiative will open submissions for the Zone for Native Communities. Tribal and Urban Indian communities from across Washington are encouraged to apply. One community will be selected by the Tribal Review Panel in this pilot phase of the Initiative. The selected community will receive flexible funding of $200,000 per year for two years that can be used towards developing organizational infrastructure to support community decision-making, identifying health priorities, and implementing culturally-relevant strategies.
January 2024
The selection process for the zone dedicated to Native communities is currently being developed by Tribal Community Representatives from the Community Advisory Council and a Review Panel of Native individuals who will assist in selection once the submission form opens.
The submission form and selection process are anticipated to launch in February of 2024.
October 2023
A letter was sent to Tribal Leaders and Tribal Partners sharing an update on the process for the Zone for Native Communities.
PDF of the October 2023 Letter
PDF of the October 2023 Letter Attachment
Please sign up for the HEZ newsletter to stay up to date with the process.
Rural Zone - Rural Whatcom County
August 2024
In June 2024 the Whatcom HEZ partners hosted community gatherings to help truth test the findings in past community and state data sources. and to start to narrow down health focuses for the area.
During the meetings, attendees were engaged in reviewing the compiled data from community and state to gauge their agreement with the compiled data. Participants were asked to identify areas of agreement, highlight missing information, and discuss existing community strengths that could address these issues. The agenda was structured to foster community building, extensive discussion, and envisioning future community aspirations.
A summary of findings will be available after the responses during the gathering are compiled and reviewed by community members.
June 2024
Throughout Spring 2024 the Chuckanut Health Foundation and East County partners developed an outreach plan to start sharing about the Health Equity Zones Initiative and what it means for the rural communities in East Whatcom.
In recognition of the work and community surveying that has gone on in the past ten years the Whatcom HEZ partners hosted community gatherings meant to help truth test the findings in those surveys and to start to narrow down health focuses for the area.
Whatcom HEZ partners shared the word at various local gatherings with a goal of bringing the community together on June 15th at the Deming Senior Center and June 28th at the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center.
January 2024
Collaborators, including several nominators from Whatcom County, came together to create an outreach plan for the Zone that builds on previous community engagement in Rural Whatcom County. Coming in 2024, zone collaborators will host listening sessions and community gatherings to build community awareness and gather input before moving forward with establishing a guiding body for the zone. More information, including contact information for the Whatcom HEZ will be posted on WA Portal in February 2024.
August 2023
The Rural Communities of Whatcom County have long served as an agricultural center and major port of entry into Washington. With more than 100,000 acres of rich farmland, an active commercial fishing industry, and both large student and older adult populations, the nomination for the Rural Communities of Whatcom County noted that, geographically, it is predominantly rural but also has a mid-sized city in Bellingham. This combination presents a case study for advancing health equity and bridge-building between rural communities and more densely populated areas of a region.
Urban Zone - South King County
August 2024
Using the outreach plan designed in Spring 2024, the South King County HEZ will kick off outreach in Fall 2024. Zone partners are working to set up supports and materials to ensure access for community members.
Please contact HealthEquityZones@doh.wa.gov for more information on how to get involved.
June 2024
At an in-person retreat in Tukwila at the end of April, the South King County Health Equity Zone Coalition (SKC HEZ) developed an outreach plan, and identified which populations in the cities of Burien, SeaTac, and Tukwila they wanted to focus on engaging in outreach. These include recent (<15 years) immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and their families, including youth and elders.
The Coalition also plans to engage native communities in these cities, and groups that have immigrated more than 15 years ago and have built resettlement support systems. SKC HEZ outreach strategies include using community ambassadors/navigators, participating at summer events, and holding language-specific focus groups.
January 2024
The nominator for this zone, the SeaTac-Tukwila Community Coalition, has begun meeting to lay the groundwork for this zone, which they are calling the South King County Zone. The Zone conveners, a coalition of four community-based and community-serving organizations – the Congolese Integration Network, Global to Local, Partner in Employment and the Somali Health Board - are working to develop an outreach plan and communication tools for reaching the greater community. More information, including contact information for the South King County Zone, will be posted on WA Portal in February 2024. A video that shows the work of the coalition prior to the HEZ Initiative can be viewed here: SeaTac-Tukwila Community Coalition » Global to Local
August 2023
The combined communities of Burien, SeaTac, and Tukwila comprise one of the most diverse regions of the state, it is home to immigrant and refugee populations representing numerous ethnic and racial groups, with more than a dozen languages commonly spoken. The nomination for Burien, SeaTac, and Tukwila highlighted the challenges new residents face when relocating to Washington.