Our Story
Let’s start at the
very beginning
Better Health Together’s story began at Empire Health Foundation (EHF), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing health equity in the Inland Northwest. In 2012, EHF recognized an opportunity to make a significant impact with the Affordable Care Act, so they brought together a working group to find ways to maximize its benefits in Eastern Washington. When the Washington Health Benefit Exchange launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) for In-Person Navigators, EHF was tapped to lead the charge. As the process unfolded, EHF’s legal counsel suggested forming a new 501(c)(3) organization—Better Health Together—with EHF as the sole member to apply for the performance-based contract.
In 2013, Better Health Together (BHT) was officially established with a mission to build a Navigator Network of trained In-Person Assisters who could help people sign up for health insurance through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. With an initial goal of enrolling 10,000 people, the initiative exceeded expectations by enrolling 100,000 individuals. This success was driven by working towards a strong network of trusted, community-based partners, and it laid the foundation for Better Health Togethers continued growth and commitment to collaborative work in the region.
Following the successful first year of health insurance enrollment, EHF granted Better Health Together funds to support the development of a robust CHW program. Between 2014 and 2017, Better Health Together employed six CHWs to provide intensive care coordination services for highly vulnerable partners. At this point, the Better Health Together Board also began to recruit for an Executive Director and hired Alison Poulsen (Carl White) in June of 2014.
The Health Care Authority officially designated Better Health Together as an Accountable Community of Health (ACH), marking a significant milestone in its efforts to improve health outcomes in the region! Better Health Together made strides, helping thousands of people enroll and reenroll in health insurance, lowering the region’s uninsured rate to under 5%. The organization also supported over 3,500 clients in accessing dental care, housing, primary care, and mental health services. Two new programs launched—Health Homes in partnership with Molina and Family Visitation with the Family Impact Network—further expanding Better Health Togethers reach. Better Health Together also approved five regional health priorities and expanded its funding support, including partnerships with the City of Spokane, Spokane County United Way, and the Health Science Services Authority.
2016 was a time of deep planning and preparation as Better Health Together worked to lay the groundwork for the future. Health priorities were set, community strategy maps were drawn, and a regional pilot project was carefully selected. But the real game-changer came after months of anticipation—Washington state secured funding from the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation, leading to the approval of the state’s five-year Medicaid 1115 Waiver. This milestone unlocked up to $1.1B in incentives for healthcare system reform and $375M to support vital services for Apple Health clients over the next five years. And the team? It had grown from just five people to 16, reflecting the expanding scope of Better Health Togethers work and its increasing impact on the region. It was a year of growth, opportunity, and the promise of even bigger things to come.
2017 was a key year for Better Health Together as it took on a leadership role in Eastern Washington’s Medicaid Waiver work. As the region’s Accountable Community of Health (ACH), Better Health Together was designated to manage up to $70M in Pay-for-Performance contracts through 2023. Unlike traditional grant programs, Better Health Together had to earn the funding by achieving measurable results. Throughout the year, Better Health Together focused on planning projects that would meet the requirements for the Medicaid Transformation Demonstration Projects. In 2017, Better Health Together staff also took time to reflect on how their vision needed to evolve as new opportunities and challenges emerged. In July, they introduced an updated vision statement, which was crafted through a collaborative process where staff gathered feedback and refined the statement. This update was an important step as Better Health Together prepared for its ACH’s Phase 2 Certification Process.
2017 was a key year for Better Health Together as it took on a leadership role in Eastern Washington’s Medicaid Waiver work. As the region’s Accountable Community of Health (ACH), Better Health Together was designated to manage up to $70M in Pay-for-Performance contracts through 2023. Unlike traditional grant programs, Better Health Together had to earn the funding by achieving measurable results. Throughout the year, Better Health Together focused on planning projects that would meet the requirements for the Medicaid Transformation Demonstration Projects. In 2017, Better Health Together staff also took time to reflect on how their vision needed to evolve as new opportunities and challenges emerged. In July, they introduced an updated vision statement, which was crafted through a collaborative process where staff gathered feedback and refined the statement. This update was an important step as Better Health Together prepared for its ACH’s Phase 2 Certification Process.
In 2019, Better Health Together expanded our access to care services when we were awarded a grant from CMS. The Healthy Kids Together (HKT) program supported families enrolling in Apple Health (Medicaid), Apple Health for Kids (CHIP), and Qualified Health Plans through Washington Health Plan Finder. Also in 2019, the Better Health Together staff and Board committed to undertaking an internal equity journey to support the work of stewarding our ACH partners on equity related collective projects and individual contract performance measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic turned Better Health Togethers view of care coordination upside down. The team mobilized to support, securing flexible funding to help with housing assistance, vaccination access, and educational resources. In November of 2020, Better Health Together signed a $2 million contract July 1, 2020-June 30, 2022, with DOH to serve. It was also a big year for our board as we released our statement affirming Racism as a public health crisis. We recommitted to our equity journey by investing in anti-racist care and launching equity 101 and setting organizational equity goals for white-dominant organizations as a contracting requirement.
In February 2021, Better Health Together worked closely with the City of Spokane CHHS subcommittee and $2 million dollars was released in housing assistance dollars sponsor. Up to 20% of the fund ($400,000) was available for partner organizations to access for support dollars, and the rest ($1.6 million) was reserved for direct assistance to impacted communities. In addition to the COVID Care Connect Hub, the Better Health Together Board of Directors approved a robust COVID Response Strategy, totaling $1,050,000 in funding that supported a number of initiatives including a telehealth outreach plan to reduce barriers to accessing telehealth behavioral health services in response to COVID and help local providers to provide direct healthcare access to kids at their schools.
In September 2022, Better Health Together was awarded a Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP) grant from the federal government agency Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This grant award (2022-2025) will support a stipend, training, apprenticeship placement and coordination of 240 new and current Community Health Workers from 2022-2025.
In 2023, the Better Health Together Community Resiliency Fund aimed to remove barriers for impacted community-led organizations and create opportunities to fuel systemic change. 55 organizations submitted Request for Proposal (RFP) applications, with requests totaling over $5M dollars. 22 evaluators worked over 16 hours to review presentations. At the recommendation of our evaluators, Better Health Together awarded 20 community-based organizations* over two million dollars to serve their communities. All the organizations selected serve and/or advocate for persons with intersecting identities who have been negatively impacted by systemic and institutionalized racism.
