Spokane Collaborative Meeting Materials - June 17, 2021

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Facilitator Bio - Mark Ingoldby

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Hello my name is Mark Ingoldby and I have lived in Washington my whole life.  Early on in my life I wanted to help people and concurrently was an adrenaline junky.  Combining those two things I set off to become a Paramedic.  Not to long after starting that journey I realized just talking to patients in the back of the ambulance was both fulfilling and most helpful to them.  Fast forward to getting my graduate degree I continued to feed that adrenaline side of me and became a crisis counselor. 

My crisis counselor days really taught me to listen for the most important part of a person’s story.  I spent eleven years in the Crisis Response world eventually becoming supervisor and traveling with others on their journey.  That experience set a strong foundation to equip me for future endeavors as a social worker.

My last year at community mental health involved becoming the organizations Training Coordinator.  This really fed a need for me due to my love of training and education.  I missed the clinical piece though.

In 2017 I applied and became a Social Worker for Providence Internal Medicine.  This involved true integration and the opportunity to build and develop the first Integrated Behavioral Health clinic in Primary Care for Providence throughout the region.  This model through the support of UW AIMS was true integration and something I thought only existed in textbooks.

My passion and excitement for this treatment model hasn’t wavered over the last four years and my alignment with the Providence Mission creates for a great day to day experience. 

Two years ago I became the LICSW supervisor for the program and began working with leadership to pivot through the Pandemic and imagine what behavioral health in the Primary Care could look like for our community.  Every day is a challenge and some questions don’t have answers right away.  Seeing our impact to patients who can walk down the hall from their Drs office to see a collaborative therapist who works closely with their doctor helps me to be patient and maintain stamina.  I am excited to see how we as an organization and the whole community of behavioral health treatment providers will accept and flex to meet the needs of our ever evolving patients.      

Honoring Pride and the Stonewall Uprising in 2021

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Honoring Pride and the Stonewall Uprising in 2021

It’s easy to get excited by the vibrancy and welcoming atmosphere of Pride Month festivities. Pride celebrations are known for an abundance of bright colors, catchy music, glitter, and joy. On the flip side, it’s uncomfortable to reflect on the historic and ongoing struggle of LGBTQ+ individuals to achieve equality in the US. Still, Pride also calls on us to acknowledge this history.

This year is a record-breaking year for anti-LGBTQ legislation, and the challenges facing LGBTQ individuals continue. It’s crucial for allies to actively support the LGBTQ+ community by educating themselves, understanding the history of LGBT rights and the importance of the Stonewall Uprising. In honor of Pride 2021, take a little time to research something new about LGBTQ history. Then, find new ways to take action and share the story of Stonewall and Pride with your community.

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Resources for Growing Families

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Resources for Growing Families

Did you know? Our Parent Mentors are health insurance Navigators! They can:

  • Explain your household’s coverage options and explore available financial assistance.

  • Provide support to those with unique cultural, linguistic, disability, or other needs.

  • Connect families in need with local organizations providing health resources and services.

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Spokane Collaborative Meeting Materials - May 20, 2021

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American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Lowers the Cost of Health Insurance for Most Washingtonians

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American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Lowers the Cost of Health Insurance for Most Washingtonians

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was enacted in March 2021 and includes changes impacting health care affordability, coverage access, and other federal assistance through Washington Healthplanfinder.

Beginning May 6, Washingtonians qualify for more cost assistance to reduce premiums for health plans sold through the Washington Healthplanfinder!

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Now accepting applications for HR & Equity Learning Cohort

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Now accepting applications for HR & Equity Learning Cohort

A 6-part series focusing on internal human resource practices that can have an immediate impact on building equity into an organization's DNA. We are hosting this first cohort to gauge interest in equity-based series like these. Our hope is to have 6-8 organizations participate. Because of the limited size of this cohort, we are asking all interested organizations to fill out a short application. Applications are due by May 5.

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City of Spokane COVID-19 Emergency Housing and Utility Assistance

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City of Spokane COVID-19 Emergency Housing and Utility Assistance

Notice of Intent to Apply - We are putting forth a proposal to administer $2 million of the City of Spokane’s funds for COVID-19 Emergency Housing and Utility Assistance as a fiscal sponsor for BIPOC lead and serving organizations to offer direct rental assistance to the community members they serve. If accepted, we hope our community partners will join us, giving input on the fund's design, structure, and governance.

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Spokane Collaborative Meeting Materials - April 15, 2021

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Reflections on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

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Reflections from Hadley Morrow, Director of Equity & Engagement

This month, our Board meeting fell on April 7, the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. In Rwanda, April 7 is Genocide against the Tutsi Memorial Day. Each year millions of people gather to mourn an unimaginable loss, to try to find a place for an unthinkable event in their history, to remember incredible darkness.

On April 7, 1994, Rwanda slipped into darkness, and over the next 100 days, nearly a million people were killed, raped, or crippled at the hands of an extremist-led government because of their ethnicity. For 100 days, the world was shocked by the atrocities in Rwanda, but no nations intervened.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Rwanda. My thesis was on genocide memorials and explored these questions: How can a nation memorialize such a significant trauma? Why explore such darkness every year? What are the impacts?

 Since 1994, Rwanda has focused on cultural unity – "We are all Rwandan" – and moving away from ethnic classifications. A common phrase on flags at the memorials reads, "If you knew me, and really knew yourself, you could not kill me." 

There is fundamentally no difference between Hutu and Tutsi people. These identities became institutionalized as a result of white Belgian colonizers. Rwandans were forced to have identity cards, and Tutsis were given more government power than Hutu. It is a common tactic of colonialization to divide the people when aiming to conquer. Although the Belgians left in 1962, the legacy of the division remained and festered. 

We may find comfort in believing this was a fluke event. We go through such lengths to hide from humanity's dark history, but darkness grows in all of the corner's light doesn't reach. 

After the holocaust, we promised "Never Again," yet the world stood motionless 27 years ago, and as you read, genocide is happening in Myanmar. Our nation's history grew from this same dangerous sense of racial/ethnic superiority; one used to justify genocide against indigenous people in America, the enslavement of African people, and many other groups' oppression.

What I saw and learned while in Rwanda changed me, and I committed to sharing Rwanda's story every April 7. I ask people in my community to take time to research and reflect. I share that challenge with you today. The story of the human capacity for committing or ignoring horrors is not just a story for Rwandans to remember. It's the story of our human history.

Learning Resources