At CHPW, the member experience begins with community. As a community health center-governed, Washington-focused health plan, CHPW partners with Community Health Centers (CHCs), members, and local organizations to reinvest in accessible care models, center real-life experience, and strengthen culturally responsive care that delivers lasting impact across the state.

CHC Partnerships Provide Measurable Results

CHPW’s governance and structure—in which a group of CHCs serve as the parent organization to CHPW and those same CHCs also provide the backbone of the plan’s care delivery system for our members—create a unique partnership that is rooted in shared accountability, community voice, and a common commitment to serving Washington communities.

In 2025, amid a challenging policy environment for communities and care systems alike, partnership and collaboration were more important than ever. Through the Community Transformation Incentive (CTI) Program, CHPW supported 18 CHCs across Washington in their work across four cohorts focused on reducing health disparities through targeted Quality improvement efforts in the areas of maternal and child health, preventive screening, diabetes, and controlling high blood pressure.

Each CHC received $50,000 in funding to use towards projects to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for populations in these focus areas.

CHC staff attended cohort calls and learning sessions, and received hands-on technical assistance to help them address barriers to care by redesigning workflows and implementing culturally responsive care models. Clinics achieved measurable improvements while investing in sustainable, system-level changes such as electronic medical record integration, team-based care, and community-informed outreach.

These efforts highlight how an integrated, accountable care model can function as a quality engine, supporting long-term transformation, not just short-term outcomes.

Listening, Learning, and Leading with Community

In 2025, CHPW strengthened its commitment to member and community-centered care by expanding its Member Advisory Councils (MACs) and launching a new Community Advisory Council (CAC). These councils reflect a core strength of CHPW’s approach: the ability to systematically elevate lived experience to inform plan-level decisions.

Across four MACs representing diverse Apple Health and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) populations, members shared insights that directly shaped program design, communications, and improvements to the care experience, particularly related to orienting new members, care management, access to care, social drivers of health, and communication preferences.

In response, CHPW implemented member-informed improvements, including redesigned materials for welcoming new members, enhanced digital navigation support, improved provider directory, and more personalized, multilingual communications.

Launched in July 2025, the CAC elevated broader community perspectives on housing, economic stability, and behavioral health, further informing CHPW’s health equity, policy, and system-level work. Together, these councils help shape member-centered care and remain essential to translating lived experience into action and ensuring care is responsive and guided by the communities CHPW serves.