Spokane Riverfront Park

Health Equity Racial Organizing Initiative

The Health Equity Racial Organizing (HERO) Initiative is a campus-community partnership led by the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to address health inequities. The initiative aims to engage in community-oriented health care and help organizations that are working with community partners to address health issues not only inside health care clinics and institutions but outside of a clinical practice as well to:

  • Advance health equity
  • Build collective power
  • Create opportunities for people to connect
  • Make the positive changes people want to see in their communities
  • Bring about practical solutions to the challenges facing families and their communities

Who We Are

The HERO team is led by community leaders who have deep ties in their communities.  The leadership team is diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, lived experience, and position. 

HERO collaborates with and is supported by healthcare organizations in Spokane, WA. The team is supported by the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine Director of Health Equity and Community Organizer. 

The HERO team works alongside and collaborates with members of our community to identify  and fully understand their needs, priorities, and concerns to develop solutions that lead to better health outcomes.

What We Do

The HERO team is building collaborations with healthcare, public health, government, and community organizations to create programs, legislation, and opportunities to build community and cultural capital and community centered health and healthcare.

  • Build community capacity: Supporting, investing, and building long lasting capacity with community led organizations by strengthening community organizations, increasing awareness through listening to our community, education, and creating and implementing collaborative programs.
  • Leverage our collective power to expand services: Increased opportunities for community partners to develop and expand community oriented services.
  • Address systemic racial health inequities: Educating and collaborating with policy makers to develop policies that promote health equity in Spokane and across Washington state.

Narratives of Belonging

Health inequities are not only the product of allocation of resources but are maintained and supported by narratives that shape assumptions of values and worth in society. In addition, the narratives are focused on the beauty, power, gifts of the communities which is a shift from the typical deficit-based approaches that lead to an incomplete understanding of cultures and communities. Changing the narrative is an important part of centering the experience of oppressed communities and developing a culture of belonging in which all people are recognized and supported. 

Communities Must Tell Their Own Stories

The Narrative and Belonging lead works with the organizers and leaders to collect and record their personal history and experiences.  These personal histories and experiences will inform the development of the team and how health education and clinic services are delivered to meet communities more competently and effectively. 

The Narrative lead will develop a creative network of artists willing to develop projects focused on accurately communicating the lived experiences and stories of the community.  Incorporating narratives into creative visual and artistic projects can help transform spaces from sterile and clinical experiences into inviting community spaces. 

Share your story by emailing luis.manriquez@wsu.edu

3 Year Plan

Year 1: Collect Stories

  •  Identify Storytellers​
  •  Record Stories

Year 2: Develop Stories

  •  Identify creative network​
  •  Empower projects

Year 3: Release Stories

  •  8 creative projects​
  •  Stories integrated into curriculum/campaigns
Downtown Spokane

Partners

The Director Of Health Equity and the Health Equity Organizer meets with community members and partners to build relationships and identify the issues that we are seeing in our communities. They start by meeting with people one on one and in community conversations.  Through those relationships they start to see what are the issues that hold us together both in terms of keeping us up at night and things people want to see for their families and children. HERO aims to learn what our community wants to see available in the community to live healthy lives and to really thrive.

At the beginning, HERO’s focus was to build a team for community collaboration to address health inequities. Between the fall and winter of 2021, The Director Of Health Equity and the Health Equity Organize met with 100 community leaders and community members. They then held 7 listening sessions with 15 people in attendance at each to learn more about the issues that were happening in our community. 

To join our community contact luis.manriquez@wsu.edu

Based on community feedback and the evaluation of that data, the HERO Initiative has 4 areas of focus:

  1. Women and Birthing Peoples’ Health Conducting outreach, recruiting and training Black doulas, and providing a valuable platform for storytelling.
  2. Advocacy HERO’s Advocacy teams help the community advocacy for their needs inside and outside the healthcare system through education and community support. 
  3. Community and Belonging Empowers and educates communities by promoting cultural competent care and self-advocacy, and increasing representation in healthcare. 
  4. Mental Health HERO’s mental health team addresses health disparities and promotes equitable access to mental health care and brings awareness to mental health issues. The team works closely with the community to understand their unique mental health needs and to identify systemic barriers to accessing care.

Community Voices at the Forefront 

HERO is informed by listening deeply to understand the needs of our community  and committed to centering their voices to guide and contribute to our work.  

Collaboration 

We value working with others  and encourage collaboration that strengthens us to bring about the best solutions for our communities. We honor all people and recognize their unique perspectives, contributions, and experiences.

Learning and Openness 

We are open to new ideas and approaches and willing to adapt approaches, programs, and strategies. We value building spaces for engagement, reflection, and collaboration. 

Service 

We are dedicated to serving our community and prioritizing their needs.  By working with communities we will develop community oriented health and healthcare services.

Support 

Empower, support, and develop others and encourage feedback and accountability.

Equity 

We value a culture of belonging centering diverse experiences, cultures, and voices. We work to change systems of oppression, practices, and policies. We are committed to using our resources to advance equitable opportunities and outcomes for our community.

Our Team

Director, Community Health Equity

Lead, Narratives of Belonging

Organizer, Health Equity Clinic