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The Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities
About Us
The Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities
(the Health Disparities Council) was established by the Legislature in 2006
when it passed, and the Governor signed,
a bill to create it.
The Health Disparities Council
is charged with the following tasks
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Action plan: By 2012, create a
state action plan for eliminating health disparities by race/ethnicity
and gender in Washington State. The report was completed and approved on
time.
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Advisory committees: To help with
its work, the Council is required to establish advisory committees to
address specific issues.
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Language barriers: The Council must--after
holding hearings and conducting research--issue recommendations for
improving the availability of culturally appropriate health literature
and interpretive services within public and private health-related
agencies.
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Communication: The Council is charged with
promoting communication among state agencies and between state agencies
and communities of color, the public sector and the private sector to
address health disparities.
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Information gathering:
Through public
hearings, inquiries, studies, and other efforts at information
gathering, the Council will work to understand how the actions of state
government ameliorate or contribute to health disparities.
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Health impact reviews: Collaborate with the
State Board of Health
in the development of health impact reviews requested by the Governor or
the Legislature.
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Regular updates: The Council must update the
Governor and the Legislature on its progress regularly. Its 2010
progress report is available.
Office of Minority Health State
Partnership Grant:
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Fostering Health
Equity Partnerships is a three-year grant awarded by the federal
Office of Minority Health to promote and facilitate communication,
coordination, and collaboration among state agencies, communities of
color, and the private and public sectors to address health disparities.
Membership and Staffing:
The Council has 17 members: a
chair appointed by the Governor; representative of 14 state agencies, boards
and commissions; and two members of the public. It is staffed by the State
Board of Health with support from the Office of Financial Management.
Additional Information:
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