Feeling pressure from the Trump administration, the Spokane Regional Health District revises its stance on equity

Fearful of federal grants being cut, the Spokane Regional Health District has changed its statement in support of health equity.

District Administrative Officer Alicia Thompson said health equity is still one of the organization’s “core values.” But the new message strays from an expansive statement the organization approved amid 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

That original statement declares “structural racism” as a “public health crisis” in Spokane across “systemic, institutional and interpersonal levels.”

“Spokane Regional Health District will call-to-action and champion transformative change to advance health equity through supporting an ongoing, all-staff professional development program that aspires to the attainment of core competencies in health equity, cultural competency, and anti-racism,” the June 2020 resolution reads.

But President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion policies in a series of executive orders since returning to the White House. Under these requirements, those receiving federal grant funds do not “operate any programs promoting DEI.”

Health district general council Michelle Fossum said at the health board’s meeting Thursday that the update clarifies the meaning of health equity as “equal opportunity to achieve their optimal health potential, regardless of social, economic or demographic status.”

“Spokane Regional Health District will provide opportunities for all organizations and individuals, regardless of social, economic or demographic status, to participate in public health-related decision-making for programs, policies, services, interventions, and materials,” the revised resolution reads.

The amended statement also clarifies that any training regarding health disparities will be “voluntary” for SRHD staff.

While calling the new statement “quite appropriate,” Thompson said the revised language is based on what has been provided by the federal government.

“What (legal counsel) just shared with you isn’t coming from us. It is coming from the federal government,” Thompson told board members.

The new statement “still includes” what SRHD needs to do to ensure health equity as one of the organization’s essential services of public health, she added.

The agency’s health equity manager, Devyn Bell, opposed the revision at the meeting, saying she was “speaking on personal time.”

“The proposed resolution talks about ensuring equal access. Equal access is not enough and will not move the needle at all when we’re talking about advancing equity. Equal implies that we all get the exact same thing,” she said.

Bell also said making health equity training voluntary will lead to “misunderstandings.”

“How can there be understanding and clarity about health equity within SRHD if there isn’t consistent training across the organization?” she asked. “Those working within the field need to have clear understanding of what that means and how it looks in action. Consistent training across the organization is the best way to do that.”

Board member Charlie Duranona asked if the word “voluntary” could be removed from the resolution, but Fossum said the term was “intentionally included to make sure that there was no claim that anyone at SRHD or elsewhere was being required to take certain types of classes that they may find offensive or not agree with.”

Thompson said the new language would “reduce our risk.”

“I certainly hope that there’s very few people that would not voluntarily go to our classes on health equity, especially since it is a core value,” she said.

The SRHD board of health unanimously approved the change.

County Commissioner and board Chair Amber Waldref was not present for the vote.

“I think the resolution does a really good job of trying to comply with federal requirements while not conflicting with state prohibitions,” health board member and Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart said.