Health Equity Racial Organizing Initiative
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
Based on community feedback and the evaluation of that data, the HERO Initiative has 4 areas of focus:
- Women and Birthing Peoples’ Health Conducting outreach, recruiting and training Black doulas, and providing a valuable platform for storytelling.
- Advocacy HERO’s Advocacy teams help the community advocacy for their needs inside and outside the healthcare system through education and community support.
- Community and Belonging Empowers and educates communities by promoting cultural competent care and self-advocacy, and increasing representation in healthcare.
- 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.