Northwest Health Law Advocates and Washington Community Action Network are proud to release their report and recommendations:

WASHINGTON STATE’S ACCOUNTABLE COMMUNITIES OF HEALTH: Promising Practices for Consumer Engagement in the New Regional Health Collaboratives. Based on interviews and research into practices that are helping grassroots community members become involved in regional decisionmaking, the report recommends ways in which regional entities can engage consumers.

Background

Washington recently established Accountable Communities in Health in each of nine regions of the state for purposes of health system decision-making. These “ACHs” offer a watershed opportunity to actively include members of communities that experience disparities in health outcomes and access to care in making these decisions.

ACHs’ ability to impact their communities’ health and health care delivery systems is likely to expand quickly in the near future. Upon approval of the Medicaid Transformation Waiver, it will be more important than ever for ACHs to work quickly to develop consumer engagement plans and involve members of communities facing health disparities in ACH decisions and operations. Our report is intended to serve as a tool and call to action for consumers and policymakers alike to develop a strong partnership. ACHs should work closely with the grassroots participants in their health care systems – including low-income individuals, people of color, immigrants, persons with disabilities, older adults and LGBTQ individuals. We recommend adoption of a set of promising practices to enable successful collaborations to improve the health of our communities.