Community Health Plan of Washington Donates $250,000 to Support Local Community Organizations Advancing Health Equity

2024 grants are going to community-based organizations across Washington State serving immigrant, refugee, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC communities

SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW), the not-for-profit offering Apple Health (Medicaid), Medicare Advantage, and Individual & Family Plans on the health exchange, announced the 2024 recipients of its $250,000 Advancing Equity Fund grant to be shared among 25 community-based organizations (CBOs) serving immigrant, refugee, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC communities in Washington State. Now in its fifth year, the Advancing Equity grants are given to organizations working to improve the health outcomes for individuals through a broad range of services, including addressing systemic social drivers of health.*

With the addition of this year's grants, CHPW has provided more than $1.2 million to 81 CBOs across Washington State since 2020.

The Advancing Equity grant program was established to support CBO partners that provide critical social services to people from minoritized communities who often experience the greatest health disparities, to those whose work meets people's everyday needs like housing, food, work, and education—because health related services come in many forms and often go beyond a clinical setting.

"Community-based organizations are vital in providing critical supports that contribute to the health of families and communities across Washington State, and we're grateful for the relationships we have with these remarkable groups," said Leanne Berge, CEO of Community Health Plan of Washington and its parent Community Health Network of Washington. "Advancing heath equity is a mission that can only be achieved through collective efforts, and these grants are intended to support community partners providing needed services in tandem with medical care. We're grateful to these organizations for their dedication, perseverance, and their unwavering commitment to ensuring that all individuals across the state have the opportunity to live their healthiest lives."

As a local health care plan founded by Community Health Centers across the state, CHPW works with them, and community resources and CBOs to ensure that all people—regardless of race, ethnicity, immigrant status, disability, age, gender orientation, or income—have an equitable opportunity to achieve their best health and well-being. Often, this means CHPW staff collaborates and coordinates assistance with many organizations to meet an individual or family's needs.

"Our partnership with CHPW grows stronger each year because of our shared mission to provide immigrants and refugees with culturally appropriate support as they rebuild their lives in Washington" said Kathleen Morris, International Rescue Committee in Washington Executive Director, one of this year's grant recipients. "The individuals we serve have persevered against incredible odds. These flexible funds give us an opportunity to welcome and support their specific needs."

CHPW provides the Advancing Equity Fund grants as "unrestricted" funds because CHPW believes each CBO should have the ability to best apply the funds to serve their clients and communities.

The following CBOs are each receiving a $10,000 grant from CHPW:

1. Afghan Health Initiative (King)
2. Asian Pacific Islanders Coalition (South Puget Sound)
3. Centro Integral Educativo Latino de Olympia – CIELO (Salish, Thurston-Mason)
4. Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees (King, North Central, North Sound, Pierce)
5. Entre Hermanos (Statewide)
6. Global Perinatal Services (King)
7. International Rescue Committee (Spokane)
8. Kitsap Immigration Assistance Center (Salish - Kitsap)
9. Lambert House (King)
10. Lavender Right Project (Statewide)
11. Mockingbird Society (Statewide)
12. Multi-Service Center (King)
13. Northwest Harvest (Statewide)
14. Northwest Youth Services (North Sound)
15. Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center (King)
16. St. Vincent de Paul (Greater Columbia)
17. Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities – TACID (Pierce)
18. The Next Door (Southwest WA)
19. Thrive International (Spokane)
20. Unidos Nueva Alianza (North Central - Grant)

A total of 25 CBOs received the grant and 20 are listed above. The additional five organizations receiving grants serve Indigenous and Native communities; out of respect for these organizations' cultures and customs, they are not named above. CHPW recognizes the grant as an acknowledgment of their existence, their work, and an offering of support.

*Social determinants (or drivers) of health, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "are conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life." To learn more about this, visit the CDC's website.

About CHPW
Community Health Plan of Washington (Seattle, WA) CHPW was founded more than 30 years ago by community health centers (CHCs) on the frontlines of serving low-income and underserved populations, and people from minoritized communities. Today, 21 CHCs operating more than 190 clinics, are the governing body for CHPW and serve as the foundation for the plan's primary care network. Together, we advance whole-person care and health equity for the communities we serve. CHPW has more than 300,000 members in Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Individual & Family Plans, and more than 700 employees. It is the only Washington Medicaid health plan headquartered in Washington State, and our local staff provide care and resources grounded in the communities we serve.

Media Contact:
Fearey Group – [email protected] | (206) 343-1543
To learn more about CHPW, visit chpw.org.

SOURCE Community Health Plan of Washington