Community Collaborative

Interested in joining the Collaborative?

Disclaimer: This space will focus on COVID-19 while addressing other health topics and inequities.
If you want to join the Collaborative, please fill out and submit this interest form. We will respond to everyone who expresses interest.

Background

The Collaborative, launched in February 2021. Its goals are:

  • To prioritize and center communities most affected by COVID-19
  • To foster partnerships and collaborate with:
    • Community-based organizations
    • Affected businesses
    • Cross-sector partners
    • Health care entities
    • Public health agencies

The Collaborative’s initial focus was to ensure the Department of Health (DOH) applies equity and social justice to COVID-19 vaccine and response planning and decision-making. 

We are excited to expand beyond a COVID-19 focus. 

The Collaborative is open to new members. As we broaden health topics, the intent of this space and whose voices the Collaborative prioritizes in DOH decision-making will not change. The Collaborative will continue to center the needs, recommendations, and feedback of communities disproportionately impacted by health inequities. Specifically, communities and people disproportionately affected by health inequities because of: 

  • Underlying health conditions  
  • Age
  • Occupation
  • Living situation
  • Access barriers
  • Systemic inequities and racism

Collaborative Thought Partners guide the Collaborative. The Thought Partners are members who take a more formal, active, and represented role within the Collaborative. They ensure it is community co-led, centers the communities and sectors that have been most disproportionately affected by COVID-19, address equitable vaccine distribution and access, and advance pandemic recovery efforts.

Collaborative Structure

Monthly or bi-monthly Community Relations Briefings - Collaborative members can connect with DOH to hear real time updates, and share questions and concerns directly. 

Ongoing Collaborative Feedback Sessions - Collaborative members can provide feedback on planning, outreach, and access efforts via virtual meetings, phone conference calls, or email. We will combine Collaborative Feedback Sessions with bi-monthly/monthly Community Relations Briefings whenever possible. But separate opportunities may occur.

Ongoing Community Shared Learning - Collaborative members can participate in shared learning. They will develop and strengthen partnerships, share best practices and resources, facilitate networking, and build community. 

Collaborative Workgroups - Collaborative members will consider creating additional work groups. Example of work that the groups could lead includes providing recommendations to address access barriers or supporting the development of community-informed outreach strategies.

Access Functional Needs (AFN) Disability Partner Space

Intended to center and prioritize people with disabilities and intersecting marginalized identities who experience compounded oppression, such as BIPOC, queer, and/or unhoused persons with a disability. Communities can share concerns and needs, leverage efforts and resources, and collaborate on community-informed strategies.

Latino, Latina, and LatinX Community Partner Space

Intended to center and prioritize LatinX community and intersecting marginalized identities who experience or serve LatinX community members experiencing oppression. Communities can share concerns and needs, leverage efforts and resources, and collaborate on community-informed strategies.

What do the collaborative members do?
  • Stay up to date with health topics, planning and implementation efforts. 
  • Provide feedback on DOH decisions and planning to ensure it centers communities most affected by health inequities. 
  • Share and collaborate to support equitable distribution of health resources.
  • Problem-solve barriers to public health services and information access.
What does the Department of Health do?
  • Build authentic relationships and trust with community partners.
  • Engage in community-based participation.
  • Ensure the community informs outreach, communication, and education strategies.
  • Address community-identified needs and implement recommendations to ensure equitable access to health resources.
  • Approach all conversations with transparency and share plans to use community feedback.
Who should join the Collaborative?

Anyone committed to our shared mission! And, specifically:

Disproportionately affected communities and sectors.
Priority Communities:  

  • Communities with limited English proficiency 
  • Immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities 
  • Individuals with disabilities  
  • African American/Black communities 
  • ]Asian American communities 
  • Latinx communities 
  • Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander communities 
  • American Indian/Alaska Native communities 
  • Workers in agriculture, seafood processing, and/or other high-risk critical areas in certain congregate settings
  • LGBTQIA+ 
  • Youth/Young adults (16-24)
  • People formerly detained/incarcerated 
  • People experiencing homelessness 
  • People who are uninsured 
  • Rural and frontier communities 

Sector representation 

  • Community rooted/based organization 
  • Faith-based organization 
  • Tribal health systems and organizations 
  • Academic partners  
  • Health care systems and organizations
  • Local health jurisdictions

Timeline

Collaborative meetings usually occur the first Wednesday of every month from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Future dates will be published here.

Collaborative meeting minutes, presentation slides, feedback sessions, and community questions and answers