Overview
Washington is in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and has a population of 7.6 million people. The Washington State Department of Health is an independent agency and has a decentralized relationship with local health departments in the state. Washington envisions a responsive and viable governmental public health system to have healthy and economically vital communities across the state. To achieve this vision, their goal is full funding and implementation of Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) statewide using a long-term, building block approach. The governmental public health system consists of local health jurisdictions (LHJs), the State Board of Health (SBOH), the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), and Sovereign Tribal Nations and Indian Health Programs.
Tribes have been working with Washington State for a number of years on better ways to collaborate in times of public health emergency. These efforts have paid off as we continue to respond to the current COVID pandemic. The transformation work that we’re doing through Foundational Public Health Services presents an important opportunity for Tribes to work together and with system partners so that Tribal members can receive the same level of public health services as those available in their surrounding counties. We all live in this world together and we know that public health issues do not respect jurisdictional or geopolitical boundaries.
–Steve Kutz, BSN, MPH, Chairperson, American Indian Health Commission of Washington State
Key Highlights
In 2018, public health leaders worked with a consultant to conduct a comprehensive estimate and costing to assess current degree and levels of implementation of the FPHS, and to estimate costs for fully implementing the FPHS and to identify services that could support development of new service delivery models. The baseline assessment revealed that an additional $450M per biennium is needed to fully implement the FPHS in Washington. In 2019, the governmental public health system, foundational public health services, the State’s role, and shared decision-making process for allocations were codified in state law (RCW 43.70.512 & 43.70.515).
Legislative investment and funding to date include:
Equity in Data Systems
Washington was selected to participate in PHNCI’s Equity in Data Systems Transformation Cohort, a group of states focused on data modernization and implementing the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems. As a participant, Washington will engage in network mapping, host a data summit, and more.
