Over nearly four years of partnership, hundreds of community-based organizations have worked alongside the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and DH to prevent the spread of COVID-19, vaccinate community members, relieve pandemic impacts, and support innovative approaches to achieving health equity. The Community Driven Outreach (CDO) Initiative by DOH will continue, however, DH’s contract as a technical assistance provider will come to an end on May 31, 2024. We will maintain our partnership with the department.
Partners like you have delivered remarkable support to the communities you serve and shaped the future of public health outreach in Washington. Under the Community Media Outreach (CMO) Program, the Community Driven Outreach (CDO) Initiative, and the Urban Indian Initiative, more than 200 organizations have strategically leveraged an investment by DOH of over $40 million to establish innovative community level strategies to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 information, resources and vaccines, and to address the social determinants of health amplified by the pandemic. Collectively, community-based organizations have:
- Protected the health of underserved and underrepresented community members disproportionately impacted by health inequities,
- Grown existing communications infrastructure and community capacity, better positioning communities for future public health emergencies,
- Built relationships between communities and DOH,
- And elevated community voice.
As the CDO and Urban Indian Initiatives continue, DOH remains committed to centering health equity and uplifting community partners across the state.
Continue to stay connected with DOH through the Community Collaborative, a space for community leaders to connect with DOH staff, strengthen relationships with other partners, raise questions and concerns, share best practices and resources, and hear about the latest health topics.
- Join the Community Collaborative by completing this form.
- Access additional DOH resources here:
- Subscribe to DOH Press Releases
Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for your communities!
The DH teams that supported the CMO Program and CDO Initiative look forward to partnering with you in the future.
To reach the DOH CDO and Urban Indian Initiative Team, please send an email to DOH Community Investments and Engagement via communityinvestmentsandengagement@doh.wa.gov.