Investing in Community Events with BHT Sponsorship Funds

At BHT, we work to share our commitment to our community partners every day through finding and creating funding opportunities, but what about community needs that are more out-of-the-box?

In 2023, the BHT board allocated funds for community events to elevate our community support and live out our mission and values. BHT is committed to sponsoring events and community engagement activities that promote community wellness and elevate community voices.

So far this year, we have had the chance to support over 50 events and allocate over $150,000 to events in our region. We continue to process applications and will update you as the year goes on!

So far in 2024, we had the honor of sponsoring the following community organizations with their events:

  • A Woman’s Worth

  • American Indian Community Center

  • Asians for Collective Liberation Spokane

  • Compassionate Addiction Treatment (CAT Spokane)

  • Creole Resources

  • FailSafe for Life

  • Feast Collective

  • Flett Middle School – Spokane Public Schools

  • Girls on the Run of Spokane County

  • Healthy Ferry County Coalition (HFCC)

  • If You Could Save Just One

  • Inchelium Language & Culture Association

  • Latinos En Spokane

  • League of Education Voters

  • kʷu cnxiʔ

  • Manzanita House

  • Martin Luther King Center

  • Maji Rising

  • Merry Glen

  • Mission Community Outreach Center

  • Mujeres in Action

  • Northeast Youth and Family Services (NEYFS)

  • Nuestras Raices

  • NW Unity

  • Operation Healthy Family

  • Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane

  • Refugee & Immigrant Connections Spokane

  • Reimagine Medical Lake

  • River City Youth Ops

  • Ronald McDonald House of the Inland NW

  • Rosalie Murrey Memorial Foundation

  • Shades of Motherhood Foundation

  • Spectrum Center Spokane

  • Special Olympics Washington – Northeast Area

  • Spokane Eastside Reunion Association (SERA)

  • Spokane Parks Foundation

  • Spokane Pride

  • Spokane Tribal Network

  • Spokane Youth for Christ

  • Spokane Stealth Lacrosse

  • Spokane Tribal Network

  • Sweet Grass Healing Arts

  • The Lands Council

  • The Way to Justice

  • Thrive International

  • Transitions

  • Vanessa Behan

  • Volunteers of America Eastern WA

  • Yoyot Sp’q’n’i

Funding a Healthier Future: How Grant Funding is Empowering Innovative Healthcare Projects in Rural Eastern Washington Schools

Better Health Together is pleased to announce the recipients of rural school-based healthcare awards and how they have used their funding to implement innovative school-based healthcare projects and address health-related social needs for students throughout Eastern Washington. You can learn more about the funding application process here.

In total, BHT was able to award the following:

  • Four $100,000 awards for school-based healthcare initiatives

  • 15 small awards in 10 different school districts ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to meet health-related social needs

  • Total funds awarded: $490,722

 Read on to learn how schools used the awards to improve student health and safety.

Health-Related Social Needs Award Recipients

Almira School District

Almira School District used grant funds to purchase three Stop the Bleed Kits and three cabinets to be placed next to existing AED stations in hallways. They aim to enhance safety further by equipping each classroom with a kit and container for use during lockdowns or active shooter situations.

Chewelah School District

Chewelah School District used the grant funds to purchase Stop the Bleed Kits for all buildings in the district. Additionally, funds were allocated to replenish health and safety supplies in the emergency buckets located in each classroom across the district. These initiatives significantly enhance the district’s emergency preparedness, ensuring the safety of both students and staff.

Colville School District

Colville School District used the grant funds to purchase AEDs for their athletic teams and facilities. Purchasing AEDs will help enhance the district’s emergency preparedness, ensuring the safety of both students and staff.

Cusick School District

Cusick School District used the grant funds to address students’ health-related needs, including purchasing clothing, shoes, sports/safety equipment, and personal hygiene products, and to remove barriers to participation when and where needed.

Nine Mile Falls School District

Nine Mile Falls School District used the grant funds to supply each classroom with an Emergency Backpack, which provides students and staff with crucial supplies like first-aid kits, food, water, and sanitation items during unexpected events. 

Newport School District

Newport School District used the grant funds to purchase Stop the Bleed Kits. This will help them meet their goal to be proactive in their efforts to have the supplies on hand that they need to serve their rural community in times of crisis.

Odessa School District

Odessa School District used the grant funds to partner with Odessa Health Clinic to offer in-school mental health services for K-12 students and their families. They also used resources from the grant to replace an aging washing machine and dryer that have been in service for 20 years. Investing in new equipment will promote cleanliness and hygiene, significantly improving the health of our students and families. A new washer and dryer will also support families since the nearest laundromat is 45 minutes away.

Orient School District

Orient School District used the grant funds to support purchasing a portable AED in the Orient School District/Orient Elementary School gym. Having adequate medical supplies for both emergent and daily school use is key to properly caring for students, staff, and the community. 

Reardan Middle and High School

Reardan Middle School and High School used the grant funds to expand the school district’s partnership with Clayful, a technology-based platform that allows students to connect with a mental health human coach in 60 seconds. The program expansion will enhance students’ overall health, both physical and mental while reducing absenteeism and enhancing their ability to thrive academically and socially.    

Ritzville Grade School

Ritzville Grade School used the grant funds to procure an array of specialized equipment and supplies that serve as the foundational elements for the Blended Classroom initiative at Ritzville Grade School and directly support students’ health-related social needs. These resources have been carefully selected to foster an inclusive, adaptable, and supportive learning environment that caters to the comprehensive needs of our diverse student population.


School-Based Healthcare Award Recipients

Lincoln Hospital and Clinics

Lincoln Hospital and Clinics is partnering with the Reardan School District to establish a school-based clinic. They will work with the district to meet the health care needs of vulnerable students by providing primary care to students who don’t have regular and routine access and addressing acute care needs when identified by the school nurse.

NEW Health

NEW Health is using their grant for a school-based mobile dental clinic to bring oral health care to low-income students in rural communities throughout the Tri-County region (Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties). They will work with school officials to determine the needs and timing for bringing the mobile clinic to school locations and will work with school staff to identify students most in need of dental care with the goal of being on-site at a partner school district at least one day a month during the 2024-2025 school year.

Ritzville School District

Ritzville School District is using funds to extend the presence of its school nurse to accommodate unprecedented and growing demands for care. This will allow the District to increase the school nurse’s time to five days a week and better meet demands associated with outbreaks, dietary restrictions, high-risk health conditions, and special needs.

Sprague School District

Sprague School District’s focus is on professional development and planning around Tier 1 systems of behavioral support. Using these funds, District staff will complete Safety-Care Crisis Prevention Training, collect data on student behavior, and work with a behavioral specialist to improve classroom management. The district aims to improve classroom behaviors, retain teachers and students, and create calmer, safer classrooms for all.

We Stand with our Community ~ Nos Solidarizamos con Nuestra Comunidad ~ Kemij jutak ippen Jukjuk in bed in ad 

English:

We Stand with our Community

At BHT, we have been reflecting on the election results. We stand against hate, oppression, and racism. We stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with our community to ensure that everyone feels safe and a sense of belonging. Our community lies at the heart of what we do, especially those who have historically faced—and continue to face—the most significant health disparities.

Over the past week, we have taken some time as a Board and staff to pause, share our emotions, and reconnect with one another. We start this week with a steadfast commitment to do all we can to ensure that every person in our community has access to the resources they need to be healthy and safe.

BHT will build on our past actions and remain committed to serving those who experience the highest levels of health disparities. We will continue to be driven by data and the experience and knowledge of our partners who are closest to the work. We will double down on our efforts to mobilize, serve and heal together to create a more just community, a place where all of us feel like we belong. We know that some of you need a break. When you are ready, we will be here, recharged, focused, and fully committed to this journey, with clear minds, open hearts, and unwavering dedication.

At our Board meeting on Friday, we were reminded of Desmond Tutu’s words, which ground us in our shared humanity and commitment to the well-being of our community, “I am human because you are human. My humanity is caught up in yours. And if you are dehumanized, I am dehumanized.” Inspired by this truth we stand together to ensure every person feels safe, valued, and supported going forward.

Spanish:

Nos Solidarizamos con Nuestra Comunidad 

En BHT, hemos estado reflexionando sobre los resultados de las elecciones. Nos oponemos al odio, la opresión y el racismo. Nos mantenemos hombro a hombro en solidaridad con nuestra comunidad para garantizar que todos se sientan seguros y con sentido de pertenencia. Nuestra comunidad está representada en el corazón de lo que hacemos, especialmente en aquellos que históricamente han enfrentado—y continúan enfrentando—las mayores disparidades en salud. 

Durante esta última semana, nos hemos tomado tiempo como Junta Directiva y empleados, para hacer una pausa, reflexionar, compartir nuestras emociones y reconectar entre nosotros. Comenzamos esta semana con un compromiso firme de hacer todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para garantizar que cada persona en nuestra comunidad tenga acceso a los recursos que necesitan para estar saludables y se sientan seguros. 

BHT se basará en nuestras acciones pasadas y seguirá comprometido a servir a aquellos que experimentan los niveles más altos de disparidades en salud. Continuaremos guiándonos por las estadísticas y la experiencia y el conocimiento de nuestros socios, quienes están más cerca del trabajo. Redoblaremos nuestros esfuerzos para movilizarnos, servir y sanar juntos, con el objetivo de crear una comunidad más justa, un lugar donde todos nos sintamos bienvenidos. Sabemos que algunos de ustedes necesitan un descanso. Cuando estén listos, estaremos aquí, recargados, enfocados y completamente comprometidos con este camino, con mentes claras, corazones abiertos y una dedicación inquebrantable. 

En nuestra reunión de la Junta el viernes, recordamos las palabras de Desmond Tutu, que nos conectan con nuestra humanidad compartida y nuestro compromiso con el bienestar de nuestra comunidad: “Yo soy humano porque tú eres humano. Mi humanidad está ligada a la tuya. Y si estas deshumanizado, yo también soy deshumanizado”. Inspirados por esta verdad, nos mantenemos unidos para asegurar que cada persona se sienta segura, valorada y apoyada de aquí en adelante. 

Marshallese:

Kemij jutak ippen Jukjuk in bed in ad 

Ilo BHT, Kem kar mwier kon tobrakin kar ekelel eo. Kemij jujelamae dike, kakien, im bareinwot dike kim kin wòn kim. Kemij jutak kijñeñe ippen droon ñan jerbal ippen doon ippen jukjuk in ped in ñan kòmman bwe kajojo iaad ren enjake ke rej jojomar im eñjake ke rej mottan jukjukin bed in wòt. Jukjukin ped kein ad rej ekeijel ilo buruwon kajojo kon ta ko jej kommani, bareinwot ro im raar bed im loi ta ko rekar walok ñan er ilo ien ko etto im rekab loi de ñan rainin- men eo elaptata in  ikijien an ejmour jab jokinwot juòn.   

Ilo wiik ko rej jemloklok, kim kar bòk jet ien ko einwòt ro ilo Board eo im rijerbal ro im kàà (bòjrak)ilo jidik ien ko ñan am, kalimjek kim make, kwalok ñan droon kin enjake ko am, im bar kakobaiki kim make ippen droon. Kim kar jino wiik in ilo am jutak kijiñeñe ñan kòmman jabdewòt  kemij maroñe bwe kajojo armej ilo jukjuk in bed in ren bòk jeramman ko rej aikuji ñan bwe ren ejmour ilo mònònò .  

BHT enaaj kalek ioon jerbal ko am im debij wòt wewein am kar jerbal im jipañ ro jet rej eñjake im rebed ilo joñok ko ilòñ tata ikijien ejmour. Kim naj wònmanlok wot im jerbal ekkar ñan bonbon ko, eñjake im jelà ko an ro kemij ekijel im jerbal ippeir. Kim naj lukun kappene jerbal ko am ñan kebooj kilen  im wewein am jerbale juòn jerbal, jerbal ñan ro jet im eñjake ejmour ippen droon  ilo ad ejaake elòñlok ilo juòn wòt ilo jukjukinbed in, juòn jikin eo kajojo iaad remaroñ eñjake ke ej ijo ej aikuj bed ie in.  Jejelà jet iaad rej aikuj kakije. Ñe kwobojak, kijwòj in ijin, kòkajoror, kalimjeke, im lelok aolepen am ilo ial in, kin kòlmenlojen erreo, Kobelok būruòm, im jutak pen,kijiñeñe im jab ebbwer. .  

Ilo kar kwelok eo an Board ilo Bòlaide eo, kem kar kakememj droon kin naan ko an Desmond Tutu, eo bedbedin ñan kòjwoj ilo ad ippen droon einwot jet armej ro im rej lelok buruweir ilo aer jerbal ko ñan emman lok eo an jukjukin bed in, “ Ña ij juon armej kònke ij armej. Nememeiù ej einwot bar nememeium. Im ñe kwoj kauròk eok einwot juon armej, innem ij bareinwot auròk einwòt juòn armej”, im bòk jipañ ilo ao wònmanlok.  

Creating Regional Impact With Grant-Writing Stipends

Background

In 2023, BHT conducted interviews with community-based organizations to determine what needs were most important to them moving forward. A theme that emerged was the need for reliable funding, and we know from experience securing those resources often requires a strong grant-writing strategy.

Recognizing this critical need, we launched an initiative designed to directly support organizations in their pursuit of additional funding. As part of our ongoing commitment to building capacity within the community, we allocated up to $220,000 for Grant-Writing Stipends in 2024. These stipends were available to organizations seeking technical assistance in grant writing, empowering them to work with a grant-writing consultant of their choice.

To date (as of November 2024) the program has helped community-based organizations secure over $2.7M in grant dollars, creating increased regional capacity and helping organizations thrive.

The Grant Writing Stipend Initiative

Through this initiative, eligible organizations could receive up to $5,000 to fund grant-writing technical assistance. The goal is simple but impactful: to help as many community-based organizations as possible increase their capacity, secure more funding, and ultimately strengthen their ability to serve their communities.

Over the course of this initiative, we were able to award stipends to 48 organizations, supporting a range of impactful community efforts. These stipends have not only helped secure vital funding but have also provided a boost to the capacity of these organizations, enabling them to expand their work and make a greater impact in their communities. This work has also supported over a dozen grant writers.


Highlights of Organizations Supported

We are proud to have partnered with diverse organizations in our community that are doing incredible work in areas such as health equity, social justice, education, and community empowerment.

Some of the recipients include:

To learn more about the grant writing support initiative click here. We hope to have more grant-writing stipend opportunities to offer the community in 2025. If you have any questions, please contact Ethan Senn, ethan.senn@betterhealthtogether.org.

Meet Quinna – A Community Health Worker

Community Health Worker Awareness Week was held from August 26th to 30th. We’re excited to keep highlighting eastern Washington community health workers all year long! Discover more about these incredible individuals who are making a real difference through their dedication, compassion, and relentless commitment to enhancing community health.


My name is Quinna and I am a Community Health Worker.

How do you define a community health worker?

A community health worker is somebody who is in the community, who has the lived experience, and who knows how to advocate for their community.

Why did you want to become a community health worker?

I worked in health care for a very long time, and I felt like there was a disconnect with treating the whole person. A community health worker is the other step. Helping with scheduling appointments, helping to get resources in the community, and things like that.

What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a community health worker?

Anyone can be a community health worker. And you don’t have to have all these degrees or all this schooling. Your lived experience is important, and your voice is needed.

What would you want the community to know about community health workers?

You probably know a community health worker. They can be anywhere. They can be in your churches. They can be in your schools. You probably know a community health worker. The person who advocates and is there for you is a community health worker.


Learn more about community health worker programming at Better Health Together and how you can get involved!