Announcements

Community health workers who would like to learn ways to share guidance on oral health for adults are invited to join a two-hour learning session in Tacoma.
On May 16, the Foundation for Health Care Quality and the Bree Collaborative hosted a webinar on Social Need Screening. In this session, we heard from CHAS Health on how community health workers (CHWs) supported their social need screening process. 
Find out how to get support developing a quality improvement project that promotes equity within your organization. Individuals, teams, and organizations serving Washingtonians are welcome to join a Health Equity Action Collaborative starting in May.
Health practitioners working in chronic disease can get support from Prevention Research Centers (PRCs). The centers are a network of 26 academic research centers that work with local communities to develop, test, and evaluate solutions to public health problems. PRCs conduct community-based applied public health research to address chronic diseases and other leading causes of death and disability in the United States. The CDC provides funding, leadership, technical assistance, and oversight for the PRC Program.
The Electronic Case Reporting team is now offering the first in what will be a series of online training. Electronic case reporting replaces antiquated manual reporting methods like faxing or mailing paper forms, using digital technology for automating disease reporting.
Last school year, our school-based health center (SBHC) grant program led to over 3,000 medical and 4,000 behavioral health visits conducted at grant-funded SBHCs. The SBHC program will collect input later this year from interested SBHCs, partners, and communities to continue improving and expanding this vital program supporting Washington's youth.
National CHW Awareness Week is the first ever national campaign with CHWs at the center. The National Association of Community Health Workers has developed this event to increase awareness of CHW identity, roles, impact on communities, and leadership, and to promote policies that respect, protect and authentically partner with the CHW profession.
Whatcom and southern King County have been selected as the state’s rural and urban Health Equity Zones. DOH will work with tribal community representatives this winter to select a zone for Native communities. Each area chosen as a health equity zone will receive $200,000 per year for at least two years to help identify health priorities and develop community action plans.  
DOH is one of three states selected by the Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems (ECDHS): Evidence to Impact Center to take part in a multiyear project to advance comprehensive early childhood developmental systems across the state.
State requirements and best practices that aim to improve the health of infants and parents affected by substance use at birth were announced June 26, 2023. If there are no safety concerns, state policy now allows substance-exposed infants to receive voluntary wrap-around services without being reported to Child Protective Services. All hospitals should update policies to align with state policy and train staff no later than January 1, 2025, to comply with federal requirements.