Pacific Northwest Health Equity Council

ABOUT US

Our Roots

The Pacific Northwest Health Equity Council (PNWHEC), formerly known as

Region 10 Health Equity Council, was founded in 2011. RHEC X, as we were called, 

is one of ten independent, non-governmental regional councils formed to focus

on the 5 priorities of the National Stakeholder Strategy, to address health disparities

experienced by the racial and ethnic minority and underserved populations.

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The 5 Priorities of the National Stakeholder Strategy

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1. Strengthening access to quality health care 

2. Supporting the implementation of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care

3. Educating youth and emerging leaders about health disparities and the social determinants of health so that they become champions for health equity. The NPA seeks to increase the knowledge of young adults through practical learning opportunities, including internships at the regional and national level

4. Strengthening the nation’s network of community health workers, who play a key role in disease prevention and health promotion 

5. Promoting the integration of health equity in policies and programs

Our Membership

We maintain a diverse membership representing several sectors such as state government, higher education, health care delivery, community non-profits, and private foundations. This ensures adequate input from diverse sectors in the council’s efforts to understand and address health disparities in the region while creating a network of leaders and practitioners working toward the common goal of a nation without disparities. 

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Our council

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• Works to raise the visibility of health disparities within the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington 

• Works to increase capacity of communities to address social determinants of health by providing information, training, and resources 

• Works to leverage available resources in support of our vision and mission 

• Infuses the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) goals and strategies into policies, practices within our groups and throughout our region 

• Shares stories and successes with broad constituencies 

• Hopes to build leadership, activism, and capacity within and between impacted communities 

• Strives to ensure health occupational educational and career opportunities for underrepresented minority populations (URM’s) 

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