Whatcom County selected by the state to be a Health Equity Zone. What does that mean?
The Washington State Department of Health has announced that Whatcom County was selected as a rural Health Equity Zone, a designation that will help the county address health inequities and implement action plans.
The Health Equity Zone Initiative also selected King County as the urban zone and soon a third zone for Native communities will be identified by tribal community representatives, according to a news release.
In 2021, the Washington state legislature approved the program to reduce geographically-based health inequities. Each area chosen will receive $200,000 per year for two years to help identify health priorities in communities and develop ways to address them, the release said.
An area or community is considered a health equity zone if there are people living there who face more limited access to health care and other conditions that negatively impact their health. The HEZ Community Advisory Council members reviewed, scored nominations and met in-person to deliberate for the final selection of the rural and urban zones, the release said.
Whatcom County is identified as a rural health equity zone due to it being an agricultural center and major port of entry into Washington.
“With more than 100,000 acres of rich farmland, an active commercial fishing industry, and both large student and older adult populations, the nomination for Whatcom County noted that, geographically, it is predominantly rural but also has a mid-sized city in Bellingham.
“This combination presents a case study for advancing health equity and bridge-building between rural communities and more densely populated areas of a region,” the release said.
This story was originally published August 5, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
Puneet Bsanti
The Bellingham Herald