by Daphne Smith, NoHLA Co-Executive Director (featured furthest left in photo celebrating the 2026 Tubman Health Center soil turning ceremony in Rainier Beach, Seattle, WA) Never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over. - Fannie Lou HamerSuccess is to be measured not so much by the position...
Category: News
Seattle uses AI to help triage, divert 911 medical calls, The Seattle Times
From The Seattle Times article, "Seattle uses AI to help triage, divert 911 medical calls," by Daniel Beekman: SFD started using live AI prompts in December 2023 to help dispatchers more consistently identify 911 calls to divert to the nurse line, Lombard said. Corti's AI now listens to all 911 medical calls and, when it...
Equity Is More Than a Value, It’s a Responsibility
by Daphne Smith, NoHLA Co-Executive Director and Excelsior Wellness Board Member Originally written for Excelsior Wellness and cross-posted here with permission from the author. A few years ago in Spokane, hospitals and urgent care centers seemed to appear almost overnight. Many were placed in central, highly trafficked areas — often near one another and their...
Charity Care Tested in Court. Again.
When it comes to Washington's charity care laws, NoHLA has been advocating for consumer access and protections since 1989. We recently joined Columbia Legal Services and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility in filing an amicus brief (also known as a friend-of-the-court brief) in the case of Preston v. SB&C, Ltd., aka Skagit Bonded Collectors, LLC....
Improving Access to Medicare Savings Programs
by Ann Vining, NoHLA Senior Attorney Medicare is health coverage, but having it does not mean a person can afford the care they need. Medicare is expensive. And it's hard to get help with those costs. But, in case you missed it, there's some good news. Washington finally has a way to improve access to...
June 24 – APIC Immigrant Health Forum
Join the APIC Immigrant Health Forum: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 3 - 4:30 PM PST Zoom Join this session to learn about: Federal HR 1 changes going into effect. Current and expected impacts to health care access for immigrant communities in WA. Ways we can prepare to support community members at risk of losing health...
Ruling on Insurance Blanket Exclusions
From The Spokesman-Review, "GLP1s weight-loss drugs may soon be covered by health insurance under new Washington court ruling" by Amanda Sullender: The Washington statute “does not permit” a health insurance plan deciding “not to deal with a person’s disability for no reason other than because it had always done so,” wrote Judge Ian Birk in...