Syndemic Planning Group

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is forming a new community planning group. The group will focus on responding to:

The mission of the Washington Syndemic Planning Group is to advise the Office of Infectious Disease (OID) on recommended statewide strategies, funding priorities, communications, research, and evaluation activities to enhance prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, and response of HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by utilizing and anti-racist/anti-oppression framework to reduce health inequities and disparities related to these conditions, proactively address and dismantle oppressive systems and practices, and employ a syndemic approach to statewide coordination of prevention and care.

Read more about the Syndemic Planning Group’s work in the Washington State Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan CY 2022-2026.

Our Charter

The Washington Syndemic Planning Group (WSPG) charter is a document that helps organize group agreements and expectations:

Defines the roles and responsibilities as well as the mission and standard protocols
Promotes shared understanding of the WSPG role within the group and throughout the Office of Infectious Disease
Provides clarity and reduces confusion when conflicts arise
Ensures everyone is able to contribute and voices are heard

Read the WSPG Charter (PDF)

Resolved Charter Amendment, October 2023 (Docx)

Purpose

The purpose of the Washington Syndemic Planning Group is to:

Recommend priorities to the Office of Infectious Disease (OID) that are grounded in elevating equity and racial justice by identifying the strengths and addressing the needs of communities most impacted by the syndemic and most impacted by white supremacy and structural racism and stigma.
Embed health equity and racial justice in all activities that includes developing a shared understanding of racial equity language and concepts, implementing strategies to ensure that diverse perspective and voices are included in the strategic and program planning and design.
Participate in and inform HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI planning and public advisory processes within the state, representing and advocating for the prevention, care, and treatment needs of communities and populations at risk for HIV, viral hepatitis, and/or STI infection and people living with HIV, viral hepatitis, and/or STIs.
Participate in the development of each iteration of Washington State’s Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan, guiding research and data collection processes, reviewing data to identify critical needs within the HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI ecosystem across the state, and recommending the goals, objectives, implementation, evaluation for inclusion.
Inform the development of Requests for Applications that target the goal and objectives in the Integrated Plan and prioritize the most disproportionately affected populations and geographic areas in the state that bear the greatest burden and are at highest risk for new HIV, viral hepatitis, and/or STIs.
Partner with the DOH to monitor and support HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI prevention and care activities across the state to ensure that the results set forth in the Integrated Plan are achieved.
Review and assess a collaborative and coordinated approach for HIV prevention, care, and treatment services, and that resources are directed to the populations and geographic areas with the greatest HIV risk and disease burden.

Washington Community Planning Group Meetings

Meetings started in the Summer of 2022. Initially the meetings are currently held virtually but may be in person in the future, with a virtual option. All meetings are open to the public and accessible for persons with disabilities. We provide simultaneous interpretation in Spanish for all meetings. Participants can join the virtual meeting via web conference or phone.

2024 Meetings

Date	Agenda	Minutes	Location	Materials
January 23, 2024	English Spanish	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom	Presentation (PDF) Presentación (PDF)
March 26, 2024	English Spanish	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom
May 28, 2024	English Spanish	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom	Presentation (PDF) Presentación (PDF) CQM Basics - Community/Client Advisory Board (PDF)
July 23, 2024	English Spanish	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom	Presentation (PDF) Presentación (PDF)
November 26, 2024	English Spanish			Achievement Timeline (PDF) Chronograma de logros (PDF)

2023 Meetings

Date	Agenda	Minutes	Location
November 28, 2023	English Español	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom
September 26, 2023	English Espa ñ ol	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom
July 25, 2023	English Espa ñ ol	English Espa ñ ol	Zoom

Please email syndemic@doh.wa.gov or call (360) 236-2315 for additional information, access to the meetings in languages other than English and Spanish, or to let us know about accessibility needs.

Additional Resources

Healthier Washington Collaboration Portal - DOH required trainings, deliverable grids and workplans, guidance documents, and other resources.