Protecting the public’s health across Washington is a fundamental responsibility of the state and is accomplished through the governmental public health system. The most essential activities for accomplishing this are Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS).
The COVID-19 pandemic, recent measles outbreaks, and the opioid epidemic all demonstrate the importance of a capable and prepared governmental public health system to reduce hardship and illness for Washington’s residents and communities. Stable, consistent funding for FPHS is critical for the governmental public health system to be able to identify and respond to new public health emergencies as they emerge.
The Washington FPHS System exists to work towards resourcing and modernizing foundational services until they are implemented completely for all people in Washington, in ways that maximize efficiency and effectiveness. This requires a foundational level of services to exist in every community in Washington.
Foundational Public Health Services funds are benefiting communities across the state. These stories represent some of the impacts of systemwide collaboration and funding for governmental public health. You can look up stories by topic and location at the FPHS In Action page.
FPHS funding allowed the Kalispel Tribe to hire a chronic care nurse, increasing their ability to provide public health services to elders and homebound patients.
Thanks to FPHS Immunization Outreach and FPHS Reinforcing Capacity funds, Spokane’s Immunization Assessment & Promotion (IAP) team was able to implement two successful vaccine campaigns, create community-specific resources, provide educational opportunities for vaccine advocates, develop and maintain partnerships, and provide access to vaccines for uninsured adults.
Making Blood Lead Screenings Available in Wahkiakum County
Thanks to FPHS funding and partnership with WA DOH, Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services added portable blood lead level testing. Before this, families had to travel out of the county for testing, and many children weren’t screened at all. Now, local clinics can test on-site with immediate results.
DOH programs and services, implemented in collaboration with local health departments and state, federal and private partners, touch the lives of all Washingtonians and visitors to the state. DOH provides comprehensive public health services and programs to the community through a workforce of approximately 2,000 public health professionals– all dedicated to improving the health and well- being of Washingtonians and the communities in which they live, learn, work, worship, and play.
Washington State Board of Health (SBOH)
SBOH provides leadership and advances public health practices that protect and improve the public’s health. Their work focuses on analyzing policies, developing rules, promoting partnerships, and encouraging public engagement in the public health system.
FPHS
Steering Committee
Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs)
LHJs are represented and convened in the FPHS System through the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO). WSALPHO collaborates with other public health agencies to advance public health, educate and inform policymakers on local health issues, advocates for public health policy, and empowers local health departments.
Tribal Nations & Tribal Health Organizations
The American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) serves as the FPHS liaison organization for the 29 federally recognized Indian Tribes whose traditional lands and territories included parts of Washington, and two Urban Indian Health Organizations.
Washington State Department of Health (DOH)
DOH programs and services, implemented in collaboration with local health departments and state, federal and private partners, touch the lives of all Washingtonians and visitors to the state. DOH provides comprehensive public health services and programs to the community through a workforce of approximately 2,000 public health professionals– all dedicated to improving the health and well- being of Washingtonians and the communities in which they live, learn, work, worship, and play.
Washington State Board of Health (SBOH)
SBOH provides leadership and advances public health practices that protect and improve the public’s health. Their work focuses on analyzing policies, developing rules, promoting partnerships, and encouraging public engagement in the public health system.
Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs)
LHJs are represented and convened in the FPHS System through the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO). WSALPHO collaborates with other public health agencies to advance public health, educate and inform policymakers on local health issues, advocates for public health policy, and empowers local health departments.
Tribal Nations & Tribal Health Organizations
The American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) serves as the FPHS liaison organization for the 29 federally recognized Indian Tribes whose traditional lands and territories included parts of Washington, and two Urban Indian Health Organizations.
"Having a Community Health Assessment (CHA) allowed the department to evaluate health equity, identify critical service gaps, and understand the nuanced barriers that impact rural well-being—from healthcare access and behavioral health to food security, transportation, and childcare."
How FPHS Investment Transformed Community Health in Garfield County
"Without FPHS, BFHD’s response to a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza event would have been slower, less coordinated, and less equitable. With it, the community received swift care, workers were protected, and public health partners across Washington gained new insights to improve future responses."
How FPHS Resources Scaled the 2024 HPAI Outbreak Response
"FPHS funds supported (or in coordination with local nonprofit organizations, SRHD leveraged FPHS funds to support) the translation and targeted dissemination of plain-language public health emergency preparedness materials covering extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and general household preparedness topics to disproportionately impacted communities in Spokane County."
Enhancing Equitable Disaster Readiness in Spokane County
"Through the Language Access Collaborative led by Public Health-Seattle King County, our agency now has access to translation and interpretation services in over 50 languages… this service has become essential."
Scaling Translation Services to 50+ Languages in Grant County
"Supported by FPHS funds we partnered with Tufts Medical Center to provide training to twenty Spokane County organizations to become Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) facilitators."
How FPHS & Tufts are Reducing Childhood Trauma in Spokane County
"As firefighters battled a large warehouse fire in Finely, WA, the BFHD Communications team stepped in to battle misinformation, build trust, and ensure the community had access to accurate, timely, and life-protecting information."
Clearing the Air: A Case Study in Rapid, Multi-Channel Emergency Communications
"With consistent support from FPHS funding, Mason Matters is evolving into more than just a convening space; it has become an engine of local empowerment and innovation."
Mason Matters: Creating a Lasting Engine for Rural Health Empowerment
"From July 2024 to June 2025, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) used FPHS funding to collect the most robust information the Washington public health system has on inequities in adult chronic health, preventive care, and associated behavioral, demographic, and clinical factors."
BRFSS: A New Foundation for Data Equity
"The wraparound support of FPHS funding for communications and community engagement help the Board improve its efforts to reach those impacted by Board decisions and recommendations."
How FPHS Funding is Modernizing Public Engagement
"The impact of this work extends far beyond our agency walls. It means local families will receive timely alerts, life-saving guidance, and a coordinated response during crises. It means our health workers are trained, supported, and ready to mobilize. It means our entire region is becoming more resilient – not just for today’s challenges, but the emergencies we haven’t yet imagined"
Strengthening the Frontline with Chelan-Douglas Medical Reserve Corps
"A careful and detailed approach is needed to address benthic algae in Clark County, something we are now able to do because of FPHS funding."
Managing New Environmental Hazards Across Shared Waterways
"This funding has been crucial for SRHD to move beyond base levels of service to where we can leverage strengths across our community."
Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning
"Wahkiakum County Health & Human services used FPHS funds to begin portable blood lead testing, allowing them to increase screenings of children who wouldn’t otherwise have been tested."
Making Blood Lead Screenings Available in Wahkiakum County
"Families who have a child with an elevated blood lead level tell us how grateful they are for the education and assistance the Lead Prevention program provides."
Tacoma-Pierce County Lead Prevention Program
"Consistent FPHS funding has been critical to ensure our Immunization Assessment & Promotion (IAP) program has adequate staffing to carry out many activities in Spokane County."
Expanding Spokane’s Immunization Reach
"This has helped build a healthier, more equitable future for our entire community."
Healing Without Judgment: Normalizing Sexual Health and Expanding STI Care
