Over 50 members of the community’s social services sector gathered in person on April 28th for the quarterly Human Service Collaborative, co-hosted throughout the year by Jefferson Community Foundation and Olympic Peninsula YMCA. Started around 2020 and emerging out of the networking needs of the covid pandemic, the mission of the Human Services Collaborative is: To support the many people working in the human services sector to stay connected and collaborating as they navigate one another’s agencies and resources; to match names to faces and roles; to keep communication channels open and flowing; to share knowledge, insights and resources; to problem-solve intersecting issues together; and to find ways to collaborate for community benefit.
The “human services” includes those working in areas of public health, nutrition, childcare, harm-reduction, after-school programs, behavioral health, peer navigators, housing, financial assistance, substance-use disorders and prevention, intellectual & developmental disabilities services and more. In an ever changing state and federal financial and regulatory landscape, our local social services work to maintain critical services and respond to community needs.
The April gathering featured two presentations– the first by Lara Cittadini, CHIP program manager at Jefferson County Public Health who announced a new cycle of Community Health Improvement Planning for Jefferson County. She offered an overview of the CHIP process, highlighted real-time benefits of Community Health Assessment Data to local organizations, and shared opportunities to participate in co-design of the assessment and health improvement plan.
Kara Billinger-Hesson, Liz Myers and Mackenzie Marmol from Jefferson Public Health’sEmpowered Teens Coalition, also co-sponsors of the event this quarter, shared an overview of their program and offered an orientation to the WA State Healthy Youth Survey. “The statewide 2025 Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) results are now available, offering a look at the health and well-being of Washington’s young people. Conducted every two years, this survey is a collaborative effort of the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR), the Department of Health (DOH), the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB).“
I found it incredibly energizing to witness this substantial gathering of the local human services professional community. Positive feedback from the event included the appreciation for the multifaceted format, the featured presentations, the orientation to the many services coordinated by Jefferson Public Health, and the time for connecting in person and networking across programs. Ultimately, the Human Services Collaborative is an opportunity to build relationships and momentum in the social services sector and to explore the kinds of questions posed by Lara Cittadini in her presentation:
What are important characteristics of a healthy community for all who work, learn, live and play here? How can we develop a shared vision of community health for all?
We look forward to the coordinating the next Human Services Collaborative gathering in August, with a focus on mental and behavioral health issues and services. If you’d like to learn more about this, please contact Crystie@jcfgives.org.
FACE AND HEART (IN IXTLI IN YOLLOTL)
By Francisco X. Alarcón
may our ears
hear
what nobody
wants to hear
may our eyes
see
what everyone
wants to hide
may our mouths
speak up
our true faces
and hearts
may our arms
be branches
that give shade
and joy
let us be a drizzle
a sudden storm
let us get wet
in the rain
let us be the key
the hand the door
the kick the ball
the road
let us arrive
as children
to this huge
playground:
the universe!
© Francisco X. Alarcón
