17,946 Miles Driven: Celebrating ACH Program Manager, Justin Botejue's One Year with BHT

1. What does your role as ACH Project Manager entail?

A little bit of everything – I see the role I play as an assister to realizing and implementing the vision and goals of our partners within the BHT ACH. This can look like anything from staffing rural county health coalitions to seeking input from the community (both the provider and the recipient of services) for our ongoing strategy maps on the Social Determinants of Health and Population Health. The role also provides staff support to the BHT Executive Director and Associate Directors which includes data and policy research, project support for the Pathfinder Hub and continued community engagement.

2. You have driven 17,946 miles since starting at BHT in August of 2016. What do those miles driven show in respects to your job and how does community engagement fit into the effectiveness of your role?

Yes, I’ve driven almost 18,000 miles within one year of working for BHT! It’s not really about how many miles I’ve driven, but more about the time I get to spend with partners around our region. Relationships are built better face-to-face and I can say that whenever I go and meet with partners, I come in with an understanding that we’re friends and I’m here to help however I can. I always offer a carpool to those based out of Spokane and when you’re in the car for a couple of hours, you tend to partake in good conversation (and hopefully it’s not just work related). I’m grateful that BHT actually encourages us to do face to face meetings and I consider myself lucky that I get to see the sheer beauty and ruggedness of Eastern Washington that I wouldn’t otherwise see!

3. What is one thing that you have learned while out in the community that has been valuable to you or a game changer in how you fulfill your role as BHT’s ACH Project Manager?

A game-changing pearl of wisdom I’ve learned over the past year is “framing the narrative”. Let’s face it, change and learning new lingo (virtually a new language) related to healthcare is difficult and the early morning phone calls and long meetings can be tiring, but set in the context of transforming lives for the better gives me new energy and drive to keep on pushing. Healthcare transformation is real and imminent especially when the narrative is framed toward meaningful impact on silo-ed systems, efficient distribution of resources, and most of all – an improved quality of life for our community.

4. What has been a major highlight in your one year at BHT?

Uh, all of it? Working for BHT through the Accountable Community of Health has been a fascinating experience! Doing healthcare transformation in this way is new and different and we are all learning together.