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History

In 2002 St. Luke's Foundation, a local non-profit foundation, convened over 200 Whatcom County citizens at the Community Health Care Access Summit. The goal of the summit was to increase awareness about eroding healthcare access and to identify potential strategies for developing a community based response. Out of the summit grew the Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access.

Purpose

Healthcare access is not just a local problem. It is a symptom of a larger state and national crisis … a health care system that is broken. WAHA is committed to facing this problem and working together as a community to build legislative and programmatic solutions that ensure that all Whatcom County residents have access to core health care services.

Structure

The Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access (WAHA) is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors composed of providers, consumers and community leaders. There are three Community Oversight Groups concentrating on: 1) Physician Recruitment and Retention; 2) Healthcare Policy Education; and 3) Patient Access Services in Whatcom County.

St. Luke’s Foundation, Whatcom County Health Department, St. Joseph Hospital and Northwest Regional Council provide in-kind administrative support and technical assistance for these Community Oversight Groups.

Nancy Blume, MNA is the Director of WAHA .

WAHA Organizational Chart (pdf)

Learn More

Take the time to find out more about our organization by browsing our website or reviewing the various reports and presentations that have been created about WAHA.

 

 

 

 

 

Original Steering Committee, 2004

 

 

WAHA Organizational brochure