News

Wow! We are excited to work with these amazing professionals! Say hello to (from left to right) Esmael Lopez, LinhPhung Huynh, Elise Rasmussen, and Hannah Fernald. They are the newest staff members to the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities. This outstanding team is responsible for providing staff support to two new task forces that were established through budget provisos in the 2019-2021 biennial operating budget.

The Office of Equity Task Force is responsible for developing a proposal for the creation of a state Office of Equity. The office is intended to… Read more

It’s National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition. Although anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their race, color, gender or identity, their background can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 2008 to change this.

Now is an opportunity to discuss the importance of care in mental health treatment, share services and resources, and support and educate people,… Read more

We were honored to be invited guests at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma for our May public meeting. Information is linked in the text and full meeting materials are available on our website. Here is a quick summary of the meeting highlights and topics.

• The Council received funding in the state’s operating budget to staff two task forces. The Equity Office Task Force will develop a proposal for the… Read more

Our February public meeting is in the books. During the half-day meeting, Council members spent their time discussing future direction and priorities, how it would implement its newly adopted operating principles, and reviewed and updated its bylaws. During the public comment period, staff from the Department of Health shared a demonstration of the Washington Tracking Network's Environmental Health Disparities Map, which is an… Read more