Background
BHT tackles health inequities throughout eastern Washington, working with more than 100 organizations across Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Lincoln, Adams and Whitman counties and the Reservations of the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the Colville Confederated Tribes to promote practical solutions that meet the needs of the people and communities we serve. BHT was founded on the principle that when we step back and let the local community lead, we find the best and most sustainable solutions to some of our most complex problems. Over the past seven years, BHT has been privileged to serve as the region’s Accountable Community of Health and govern the state’s inaugural 1115 Medicaid Waiver funds. We’ve invested more than 60 million dollars into our health care and social determinants of health delivery systems. In July of 2023, we started to manage Waiver 2.0 and expect to manage an additional $50-60 million dollars Community Care Hub program.
As an ACH, our primary role is to serve as a convening and supporting body for healthcare providers, community health workers, organizations addressing social determinants of health, and insurance providers as they come together to determine the best practices and methods for addressing whole person care in both the rural and urban communities in the BHT region. We advocate for policies centered on accountability, accessibility, and affordability. We disrupt the status quo by facilitating conversations and partnerships that level the playing field for community health throughout our region’s health care and social determinants of health delivery systems.
About BHT’s Board
Better Health Together (BHT) was formed in 2013 to build a multi-sector collaborative to radically improve the health of Eastern Washington. The original Board, established under the leadership of Empire Health Foundation (EHF), was comprised of rural, urban, health care, and social determinant of health leaders.
In 2015, as part of the state of Washington’s Accountable Community of Health (ACH) certification process, the Board was expanded to be a multi-tiered governed organization with distributed decision-making and community accountability. Our aspiration was to drive innovation and creativity that would foster co-investment, leading to improved health results.
In October 2021, as BHT Board and staff worked through what it means to be an anti-racist health transformation organization, we re-imagined our governance structure. We determined it was time to transition from a sector-representing Board to a Board built on transformational relationships between community and the systems affecting health and changed our bylaws to reflect our unique role in Eastern Washington.
We envisioned a new Board that would:
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Align with our values of anti-racism, theory of change, and openness that allow evolution
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Represent people and organizations that can affect systems and policy change
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Show up with an equity mindset from both a personal and professional role
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Be a bridging force between the world as it is and the world as it should be
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Value healthy conflict
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Be solution-oriented
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Be committed to a personal and organizational equity journey
We were successful in recruiting a cohort of individuals in 2021 and 2023 that provided both sector leadership and community voice, a balance of individuals with lived experience and community connections, and individuals that lead institutional efforts. You can see our current Board here.
To support our vision, BHT commits to a governance structure comprised of diverse voices, experiences, and communities served. We will:
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Appoint a Board that is comprised of more than 50% Impacted Community Members*
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Follow bylaws that designate 1/3 of seats for community representation
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Ensure at least five Board members work or live in rural communities
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Ensure less than 50% of the Board are from the healthcare sector
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Prioritize representation of the following lived experiences:
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Black
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Indigenous
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Asian
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Pacifica Islander, Compact of Free Association (Residents of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau)
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Latiné
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Two Spirit, Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Ally, Asexual, Pansexual, Demi sexual +
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Rural (current or previous experience)
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Justice-Involved individual
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Youth, specifically with lived experience
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Experience with chronic health problems
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Older Adults/Medicare eligibility
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Refugee and Immigrant
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People with a disability or non-apparent disability
Prioritize representation from community health system partners in:
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Tribal and Urban Native Health
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Health Care Systems
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Behavioral Health
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Payer
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Public Health
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Philanthropy
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Education (K-12, Higher Education, Health Sciences)
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Social Determinant of Health
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Government
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Social Justice
You can view of Board Demographics here.
Request for Proposals
BHT is looking for a consultant or team experienced in nonprofit board governance and management, development of values/beliefs, and aligning with organizational strategy, with a fierce commitment to equity and anti-racism work.
We are seeking a Board Development Consultant (team) to help support the following goals:
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Support a process to develop a set of values, beliefs and principles to align BHT’s Strategic Framework & Measurements,
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Assess BHT’s current Board culture and recommend actions to create a sense of belonging and alignment with our values, beliefs and principles.
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Define the roles and responsibilities of Board members, Executive Committee, and President. Define how these roles overlap and/or intersect. We expect this work will include the development of a Board Manual.
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Develop a strategy for how the organization and leadership address belonging, safety, conflict, and harm between the Board, staff, and community.
Please provide an overview of your approach and timeline.
Please also include information on your notable achievements, projects and/or experience working with diverse boards, white dominant cultured organizations and the bios of your key personnel. Please provide an estimated budget.
Expected Budget
We have budgeted between $25,000-$50,000 to support this work. Please use this as guidance; we will finalize it during the contracting process.
Timing
Please submit information in a pdf format by May 28,2024 at noon to Alison@betterhealthtogether.org. We expect to be back in touch for possible interviews with Board committees on or before June 20, 2024.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to:
Other relevant information:
