Power of Providers (POP) Initiative

Last updated February 24, 2026

Power of Providers (POP) Horizontal Logo - DOH.wa.gov/POP

Welcome Health Care Professionals!

Thank you for joining us and thousands of other health care professionals across the state. We recognize that you are trusted messengers in your communities and are proud to be your partner in building a Washington where all people have access to care and accurate health information.

We are here to support you. To learn more about the Power of Providers (POP) program, our mission and vision, and the benefits of being a member, visit our About POP page. Send questions about the program to powerofproviders@doh.wa.gov.Please use this flyer to share information about POP with your colleagues! (PDF)

Check out POP’s new webpages:

Let us know what you’d like to see on the pages in the future.

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Subscribe to the Power of Providers bi-monthly newsletter, which provides relevant resources, stories, information and tools to support the work you do.

Provider Spotlight

POP is excited to announce the provider spotlight is back. Our first spotlight highlights the importance of school nurses, the power of community outreach, and partnership. Becky Droter is a school nurse that serves the Colville School District, home to about 1,700 students. Becky is a shining example of what you can do in a rural community when you take your expertise and combine it with care, compassion and dedication to improving lives.

Meet Becky Droter, Rural School Nurse
Becky Droter

School nurses play a critical role in our children’s lives. Just ask Becky Droter, a registered nurse with 12 years of experience serving students and schools. She serves the Colville School District in Colville, with a population of about 1,700 students. Becky has a passion for helping students realize their potential in a setting that is familiar to them, while providing care for her community.

"One of the greatest things about school nursing is that no two days are the same. I get to be part of a nursing team, which is super special. I get to focus my energy on high school students, which is really my jam. One of the things that excites me most about being able to work with students is the ability to empower them in a setting where they're being educated all day long, to be able to add to that by teaching them about their health."

Due largely to access barriers, it is common for residents of rural communities to see medical providers only scarcely. A school nurse can be a primary healthcare source for many, making Becky and other school nurses invaluable to their communities. She makes decisions about the urgency of seeking medical attention for many different situations, from sports injuries to health issues unrelated to school, and knows her decisions are important and impactful.

"Being able to empower students to advocate for their own health every day is life-changing for them. In the community where I live, we don't have a pediatrician. We have family doctors, but we don't have anyone that specializes in children or any pediatric specialties. Students travel for about an hour and 45 minutes to access specialty care." Access to care can be challenging and might not happen in a timely manner. "If it's going to be 6 months before they can be seen in a pediatric office, it's vitally important that we have school nurses who care about kids."

"I was born and raised here in Colville. This is my community. These are my people. I understand the strengths and the challenges that we have here, being up in the mountains and so far from the city. It's a good fit for me."

Her experiences, her passion for empowerment, and her love of community have led her efforts to improve community health by hosting back-to-school night health fairs that provide opportunities for vaccination, student sports physicals, and even a great dinner. Her partnerships with the local health jurisdiction and federally qualified health center help to provide vaccines for school staff and families during the fairs.

Becky’s approach to supporting her community and building trusting relationships is through team effort. She has created a network that lets children more quickly and easily get vaccines needed to register for school so that fewer school days are missed. "Kids fall through the huge cracks that we put in place for them to register for school. We've removed that huge barrier just by developing good solid community partnerships. It's a win for everybody."

"What can we do? How can we best meet your needs? We're in this together. What's the best way to make this happen for your student? I make sure families know that I'm on their side and that our goal is to help their student to complete school and be successful, to be able to attend school and be healthy."

Becky and her colleagues work hard to remove as many barriers as possible, but there are still obstacles for her rural community. A scarcity of medical providers who work in specialties outside of family care places a burden on children with special medical needs like asthma or seizure disorders. And while she sends reminders home at the end of the year to plan for medical care visits, barriers such as long waiting times for appointments, long travel distances and poor road conditions, travel expenses, and access to transportation still exist for many families.

Becky’s approach is to include parents, educate students, and always be honest. "People say I'm honest to a fault. Approaching parents with honesty is probably one of the strongest skills I have. I'm not afraid to speak the truth and I think people really value that."

When talking about hope and the future, Becky reminds us to focus on the things you can control. "I focus on what I can control, the things that I can do, the places I can make a difference. There are so many places where I can make a difference every day- those things are right at the center of my bullseye. Staying focused on the things that I can change and the parts of my world that I can make a difference in is huge."

Washington Updates, Highlights and Information

Vaccines

Notice from Office of Immunization: Please remove the phone number 833-VAX-HELP (833-829-4357) from any materials you share. If you see this number being used by one of our partners, please ask them to remove it as well. Although the Office of Immunization previously used this number, it is no longer associated with our agency and is now owned by a different entity. Unfortunately, this entity is attempting to scam or obtain personal information from callers. In at least one instance, a caller was quoted a fee to receive their vaccination record.

Please use the following number instead: 1-866-397-0337.

Highlights
  • Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is lowering the state blood lead action level to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) to better protect children and reduce exposure. Clinicians are asked to begin blood lead confirmatory and follow-up testing starting at 3.5 µg/dL. The new action level aligns with federal guidance and identifies children with blood lead levels higher than 97% of U.S. children under age 6. These DOH webpages provide information to help you care for your young patients and prepare for the new action level:
  • Youth-serving medical and behavioral health providers and professionals are invited to join the DOH Youth Friendly Care Network. The network is a statewide initiative for providers and professionals who want to deepen their understanding of youth-friendly care principles and establish or enhance youth-friendly care in their practice. To learn more or express interest, visit: Youth Friendly Care Network | Healthier Washington Collaboration Portal.
Additional Information

News

In the News

Events

Upcoming Events

Resources

The Power of Providers initiative offers peer-to-peer webinars on a variety of topics, including Long COVID, behavioral health support for health care workers, vaccine hesitancy, and more. Vaccine topics are on this page in the Training Videos and Webinar Recordings section below.

Please go to the following pages for these specific topics:

Free Printed Patient Materials

Health care providers in Washington can access the POP Shop and order free materials in multiple languages to promote vaccination against COVID-19 and other illnesses. The POP Shop allows you and your staff to order posters, stickers, informational brochures and flyers, discussion guides, and much more.

Get step-by-step instructions (PDF) for ordering here.

Order Free Materials

Resources to Share with Patients

Access patient materials in more than 50 languages on the Resources and Recommendations page.

Resources and Recommendations

General Public

Available Services and Service Locators

Toolkits and Social Media Resources

Posters and Handouts

Websites

Pregnant People, Children, and Youth

Online Resources​​​

Posters and Handouts

People With Special Needs

Resources for Providers and Staff

Communication Resources

General Public

Toolkits and Social Media Resources

Discussion Guides

Other Health Communication Resources

Children and Youth

Training Videos and Webinar Recordings

Continuing Education Credits and Non-Credit Training Options

Continuing Education Credits Available

Non-Credit Training Options

Other Information

Equity Resources
Resources for Stress and Burnout

Please email questions to powerofproviders@doh.wa.gov.

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