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 promote access to equitable opportunities and resources that reduce disparities, including racial and ethnic disparities, and improve outcomes statewide across all sectors of government.
The Environmental Justice Task Force is responsible for recommending strategies for incorporating environmental justice principles into future state agency actions across Washington. The goal is to improve health outcomes, especially among communities that are most severely and frequently impacted by environmental health hazards in the state.
LinhPhung is the project manager for the Office of Equity Task Force and Elise Rasmussen is the project manager for the Environmental Justice Task Force. Esmael Lopez is the Community Engagement Coordinator and Hannah Fernald is the Administrative Assistant for both task forces. Learn more about who they are, the skills they bring to these important roles, and how you can contact them.
Each task force will hold their own public meetings and community forums, workshops, and other gatherings to engage the public, partners, and agencies in the work they are doing. Bookmark our meeting information web page – task force meeting dates will be available soon!
