North Sound ACH 2022 Impact Report

2022 Impact Report

Creating Legacies of Justice and Inclusion

North Sound Accountable Community of Health (North Sound ACH) is an independent nonprofit organization committed to building vibrant and healthy communities, places where all can live full lives. We convene diverse individuals and organizations to foster meaningful community-led collaboration leading to equitable well-being, fewer people suffering and struggling, and more people thriving.

Dear Colleagues & Neighbors,

The past year brought trauma and harm, with systemic and oppressive structures and events front and center again It would be easy to succumb under the weight of grief, apathy, and helplessness

Yet, I choose HOPE.

That hope is fueled by the momentum and meaningful change building that’s surfacing – among partner organizations and employers; in local, state and national conversations; and in what gets airtime on the news.

I am proud of how the North Sound ACH Board has continued to center its purpose around equity, inclusiveness and well-being. We engage in individual and collective learning to increase awareness, action, and advocacy, coming alongside those with lived experience and who have been the recipients of on-going harm. This has informed our vision for a future state for North Sound ACH.

I am proud of the ACH leadership, staff, and partners for their tireless efforts in moving that vision forward, including investing upstream and in projects and initiatives that advance those priorities using Targeted Universalism

The collaboration and innovation of ACH partners carrying out this important work is helping us reimagine and realize a new and better future.

With many thanks,

Shanon R. Hardie

North Sound ACH Board Chair

2022 Board Members

Shanon Hardie, Chair

Jennifer Johnson, Vice Chair

Jacque Julien, Secretary

Petra Karpsteinova, Treasurer

Lily Baldwin-Garduno

Marci Bloomquist

Tempest Dawson

Alessandra Durham

Lona Johnson

Debbie Jones

Council Member Nickolaus Lewis

Eric Posey

Chuck Prosper

Cheryl Rasar

Ario Salazar

Council Member Marilyn Scott

Commissioner Janet St. Clair

Council Member Jamie Stephens

Daniel VanArsdale

Kim Williams

Investing in Our Region

North Sound ACH continued to invest in and build the capacity of partner organizations in 2022. Together, we worked tirelessly to support thriving people and places, and to ensure community members had what they needed during a crisis.

Disaster Response and Preparedness (dollars and in-kind support)

,

,

Health Providers (Physical, Behavioral, and Oral) $

Tribes, Tribal Clinics, and Tribal Organizations $

,

,300

,

Social Services and CommunityBased Organizations

Government Health Organizations, including local health jurisdictions, fire, and emergency medical services

Grand Total

Disaster Dollars in Action

COVID-19 Response

$776,200 in COVID supplies to organizations and community members

$57,000 in rent or mortgage assistance to 98 households

$6,300 in utility assistance

"Thanks North Sound ACH for helping us keep Y kids and families safer with the test kits We did test kit Christmas for our staff complete with test kit costumes "

– Tammy Bennett and the Whatcom YMCA family

Total Investment

$6,246,700

Emergency Response

$130,800 in flood relief, including food and temporary housing

$19,000 in emergency preparedness supplies, including first aid kids, handcrank radios, heaters, storage bins, blankets, and socks

Launching the Collaborative Action Network

The North Sound ACH Collaborative Action Network launched in 2022 The Network is open to all community members and organizations wanting to join North Sound ACH to advance a just and inclusive culture – and the necessary conditions required for all community members to thrive During the first year of the Network, five cohort areas formed Network members explored the following topics:

Equity (all Network members) – Tribal and Indigenous learning, measuring data equitably, social and racial justice

Emerging Focus Areas – community emergency response, rural access to healthcare, youth and emerging leader

Care Coordination – mobile integrated health, community hubs

Practice Transformation – behavioral health clinical integration, substance use, reproductive and sexual health, oral health

Vital Conditions for Well-Being – humane housing, food security, meaningful work and wealth

The cohorts were an avenue to foster relationship building, collaboration, and networking. Partners noted that coming together with others allowed for innovative idea generation, helped connect those with similar interests or populations served, and increased geographic spread of impact

Explore the Network here – and stay tuned as projects from Network members launch in 2023!

“[I’ve gained] insight and inspiration, there are other people going through the same thing, young and new organizations [I] felt inspired by those on the same level and those who are more established ” – Network member

Learning Together

Partner Convening

At the August 2022 convening, more than 150 partners shared reflections about accomplishments to date and generated ideas for next steps. Partners also explored innovative investment models, discussed the power of belonging and bridging, and navigated conversations about race, systemic, and structural barriers that keep community members from living full and thriving lives

The convening closed with the premiere of eight films produced by Children of the Setting Sun Productions (view here), highlighting wellness across each of the region’s federally recognized tribes. As one of our first in-person Network events, it was powerful to be together and to witness voices of tribal members sharing the importance of stewardship of the land

Monthly Learning Sessions

percent of Network partners attended the monthly learning series

Resource Library

The Advancing a Just and Inclusive Culture learning session series featured seven topics, with interactive presentations from local and national experts More than 100 people joined each of these monthly learning sessions Explore the session recording and resources here.

With a growing number of resources to support the work of partners, we launched a dedicated space for a Resource Library

The library is designed to highlight the wisdom, innovations, and best practices that already exist in North Sound – and to link North Sound resources to national frameworks and thought partners. Network members are adding resources, and all community members can explore curated resources and guided learning.

Responding to Community Needs

North Sound ACH continued to honor the wisdom of our region by listening to and learning with partners and community members Together, we responded to community needs and elevated community-identified solutions

Community Response Networks

The November 2021 flood added severe strain in communities already heavily burdened by COVID-19 Fortunately, relationships built implementing COVID testing and vaccine strategies fostered a strong community response after the flooding North Sound ACH was asked to assist with emergency housing for communities that were hit the hardest, especially for community members where English was not their first language or where there was already mistrust of government agencies.

Community Response Networks launched in Whatcom and Skagit counties, out of the emergent community needs in the aftermath of the November 2021 flooding and the limitations of traditional Emergency Operations Centers These groups held regular calls to share updates, learn where needs are greatest, and determine who could best meet those needs.

Eventually, FEMA, state agencies, and county governments were asking to join these Community Response Network meetings. Through this collaboration, relationships have been built that will assure better preparedness for the next disaster.

North Sound Listens

Following the 2021 flooding in Whatcom and Skagit counties, North Sound ACH partnered with the WA Health Care Authority to help community members deal with the stresses from the flooding and its aftermath. North Sound Listens staff members provided on-the-ground outreach, connecting to community members and providing resources Read our blog post here

North Sound Community Hub

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted ongoing inequities in health care for communities of color and amplified the social and economic factors that contribute to poor health results The North Sound Community Hub connects people who are struggling due to physical, behavioral and social needs with Community Health Workers and Promotoras to help them navigate complicated systems.

“The Community Hub has constructed a frame for equitable whole-person wellness in recent years by organizing a central nervous system made up of community partners with a shared vision of less suffering and struggling for our communities and more thriving. The Hub has made it possible for everyone in our community to easily access care coordination free of charge. ”

- Gabriella Cardona, Care Coordination Specialist

Members of the Whatcom Community Response Network helped families in Everson who had been displaced by the flood with their housing applications

Responding to Community Needs

Naloxone Kit Distribution

North Sound ACH partnered with the Department of Health in 2022 for a pilot project aimed at getting naloxone, a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose, into the hands of people in the community. The need for community naloxone distribution is greater now than it ever has been before. Over the past 15 years, opioid overdose deaths in the North Sound region have increased by over 126%, with a particularly rapid increase starting in 2020.

Kits Distributed

“It was lovely to sit down with folks and have thoughtful conversations about Narcan distribution. As we let folks know that this was available, some felt called to tell us their recovery stories. Others wanted to tell us that this was a futile effort and we could hold space for good discussion And others quietly came inside, learned, took the Narcan and know we are there for them, wherever they find themselves ”

Medical Interpreter Class

A language access survey conducted by North Sound ACH identified barriers to care experienced by community members whose first language is other than English. In spring 2022, North Sound ACH addressed this need by piloting a project to provide training opportunities to bilingual and multilingual individuals interested in exploring medical interpreting

North Sound ACH sponsored 12 students for the Fundamentals of Medical Interpreting Class at Whatcom Community College. Many of these students have informally interpreted for family and community members for years, or have been asked to help translate or interpret at work, but have not been formally certified.

This innovative solution lifts up students who speak multiple languages as an asset in our region, provides access to certification, grows workforce opportunities for people who are multilingual, and addresses a workforce need.

Oral Health Local Impact Network (LIN)

North Sound ACH continued its partnership with the Arcora Foundation through innovative partnerships and strategies. The Oral Health LIN (LIN) works to increase oral health equity and improve quality of life for all people in the North Sound region In December 2022, the LIN Steering Committee approved $260,486 to support eight projects in 2023 Projects range from mobile dental clinics to school sealant programs to equity training

Twenty-three community partners participated in the pilot project – distributing 370 kits of nasal naloxone spray (Narcan), and 4,800 fentanyl testing strips.

Pictured from left, Veronica Sanchez, Cristina Morales, Rebeca Sixto, Jhovana Sanchez, and Julieta Garcia Suarez, with Marco Morales

- Sarah Lane, Executive Director, Health Ministries Network

Forward Together

The future is strong for growing a broad movement with equity at the center of the region's work. For 2023, we’ll leverage what emerged during the first year of the Collaborative Action Network, using targeted investment, informed action, capacity building, and elevating emerging issues as our core strategies

Keeping equity at the heart of our work, and learning how to operationalize targeted universalism in new ways, allow culture and the necessary con

We look forward to our ongoin

Healthcare partners in the North Sound connected with state leaders as part of the legislature's 2022 Rural Health Tour, pictured here in Bellingham in June

North Sound ACH staff and partners attended Facing Race, a conference for advancing racial justice in Phoenix, Arizona in November

Members of the Collaborative Action Network presented at the Washington State Public Health Association’s Annual Conference for Health in Wenatchee in October

North Sound ACH was honored to receive the Dorrit Pealy Award from them from the Center for Human Services in April

Liz Baxter, CEO

From left: Zeenia Junkeer, Rajdeep Atwal, Ashley Farnsworth, Nyka Osteen, and Cathy Assata from the Center for Human Services

From left: Megan Tripp, Nyka Osteen, Nicole Willis, Liz Baxter, Natalie Esparza, Meg Stephenson, and Yuki Yang from Ideal Option