We are saddened and outraged by the violent, senseless, and all too familiar tragedy of George Floyd’s death, along with countless other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who’ve lost their lives to systemic racism. As a healthcare collaborative and Accountable Community of Health, CHOICE Regional Health Network and Cascade Pacific Action Alliance are built on the idea that we are stronger when we come together and that none of us are as healthy as we could be until everyone is given the opportunity to live safe and healthy lives. Individually and as an organization, we stand in solidarity with People of Color and Black Lives Matter protestors speaking out against the devastating racial injustices and inequities that continue to plague our country.
Racism is a critical public health issue. Core to our mission is supporting organizations working to address health disparities and transforming the systems which continue to fail too many members of our communities.We remain committed to the long-term goal of health equity, and we will continue to direct resources in our region towards promoting the science and compassion-based shift towards trauma-informed care and harm reduction principles.
We are committed to the belief that people deserve to be healthy, respected, and safe. And to make that vision a reality, we must do more, individually and as an organization, to acknowledge and address the persistent, pervasive, and undeniable racism in our communities and in the healthcare system. We must continue to challenge ourselves to be better listeners, better partners, and better advocates for change. We must do better.