The Power of Partnership in SW WA
Across Washington State, Accountable Communities of Health have been able to rise to the occasion in many instances to meet the needs of their communities. In some instances, the circumstances or challenges were anticipated or planned for – like addressing the opioid epidemic. In others, however, the challenges were unexpected and have required innovation and collaboration to support community members – like COVID-19. Another unanticipated challenge has been the war in Ukraine.
One thing that makes ACHs so important is their ability to bring partners together quickly and effectively. SWACH’s work with community-based care coordination and the development of a community hub has brought partners together and has centered the community-based workforce as valuable and essential support for diverse communities in times of crisis or emergency.
When the war between Russia and Ukraine began, many Ukrainian citizens became displaced. Since February 2022, an estimated 1,800 Ukrainian refugees were relocated to Clark County. Providing the needed support and resources to these new community members would require a great level of coordination and partnership. Fortunately, the community-based workforce supported by SWACH’s community hub provided a system and network of partners to handle such a crisis.
The partnership between Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health (SWACH) and Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCS) has been able to help meet this unexpected need in the Southwest Washington region. SWACH’s HealthConnect community-based care coordination programs empowered LCS’s Community-Based Workers to respond nimbly and effectively to this influx of refugees seeking support. Culturally representative CBWs were well trained, and the infrastructure and resources were already in place. The CBWs were able to connect these individuals to the various services they needed.
“If LCS did not have HealthConnect partnership, I do not know what we would do,” said Joe Asbridge from LCS. “We did not have enough staff. Our staff was designed for 200-400 refugees to come to [Clark County] in a year.”
LCS wasn’t necessarily designed to handle such a large number of people seeking services. Through the HealthConnect network, LCS was able to mobilize a large network of CBWs, service providers, and more, to ensure that these new community members had the support they needed in very uncertain times.
“We got so much information out to the community through Irena (HealthConnect CHW). She got so much information out to clients,” continued Asbridge. “This year would have been totally different for the community without the LCS/HealthConnect partnership.”
The partnerships that ACHs can build are powerful. They allow the community-based workforce to meet the needs of their community in a more holistic way. Coordination across services makes a significant difference in helping address the social determinants of health.
