Dear Health Advocates:

Once again, it has been a whirlwind of a legislative session with many challenges, along with some surprising positive developments. This short session ends next week on March 12! Today we have some action items to take - please note deadlines. We also urge you to take a look at our upcoming events, including today’s Know Your Rights program at 5:00 to help us prepare for increased activity of ICE and the Customs & Border Patrol. Thank you for all that you do!

- HCHR Steering Committee

Dear Health Advocates:

Thank you for all that you're doing. Today we wanted to bring special attention to a very important rally next Tuesday in Olympia, as protecting healthcare access for all Washingtonians has never been more vital. Additionally, we have three organizational sign ons for members who can sign on for their organizations. So please check everything out, and thanks again!

- HCHR Steering Committee

We have reached week 4 of this year's short legislative session and the first cutoff is tomorrow, so we have two timely items to take action on. We also received early notice on the Millionaires Tax which will be heard on Friday. We will send out actionable information before Friday’s hearing. And as we stay busy in Olympia, we must also recognize Black History Month. As hard as things get, we still must remember that we’re standing on the shoulders of giants who have fought for so many freedoms and for the very democracy we fight to preserve today. Let’s continue to honor those who laid a foundation for us, and continue to engage in the struggle so that we may leave the world better than we found it. Thanks so much for all that you do.

-HCHR Steering Committee

On to week 3 in Olympia. Somehow Week 2 felt like forever and also flew by, but we're glad you're still with us! This week we have four bills for you to take action on, four are PRO and one is CON, so please read carefully and take action.

Additionally, we want to take a moment to condemn the murder of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital. But at the same time, we are strengthened by the solidarity we are seeing from so many in Minnesota and across the country who are standing up in such a critical moment. And we will continue to build our movement here. Thank you for all that you do. 

- HCHR Steering Committee

Week two in Olympia! Things are picking up at a breakneck pace, as is usual in a short legislative session. This week we have four bills for you to take action on, so please take a look today and sign in PRO. We want to thank all HCHR members who participated in their organizations’ Lobby Days, it was great to see so many familiar faces yesterday. We also continue to make our voices heard strongly in the budget fight, and we are once again highlighting ways you can stay involved by making your presence felt in Olympia this year. So thank you for staying involved, and for all that you do. 

- HCHR Steering Committee

Welcome back! The 2026 (short) legislative session is under way, and we are here to keep everyone in stride with the Health Justice Movement. This week we have an action item for vaccine and preventative services access from our 2026 Policy Agenda. We're also highlighting the need for Community Health Center federal funding. In addition, we are highlighting ways you can get involved by getting down to Olympia in-person, along with an upcoming event hosted by Physicians for a National Health Program that discusses what deprivatizing Medicaid in WA would look like. So please take a look and consider the many ways in which you can stay involved. Thank you for all that you do.

- HCHR Steering Committee

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our Winter General Meeting last night. With great representation, our coalition’s sponsoring members reviewed and adopted our 2026 Policy Agenda. Now we look ahead to the legislative session which starts next week. We will be very active for this years’ session, working to get members down to Olympia to connect with legislators and move our issues. 

This is our first action alert for 2026, highlighting the need for our lawmakers to take a holistic approach to solving the budget issue. Please take a look at the Organizational Sign-on letter below. and sign on for your organization by the 9:00 AM Monday deadline if you can. Also check out our members’ upcoming events and keep us informed of events you’re planning. Thank you again for all that you do.

- HCHR Steering Committee

Thank you for being with us for another year of organizing and advocacy in the healthcare and health justice movement. As we prepare for next year’s legislative advocacy, we’re excited to invite you to our Winter General Meeting on January 6th where our sponsoring member organizations will vote on our Policy Agenda, along with important remarks from guest speakers. Much of the Policy Agenda will reflect items we’ve worked on in the past, but we know that the biggest theme of the upcoming session will be finding new sources of revenue to prevent cuts to essential services because of the large budget shortfall.

We share below some good news regarding increased favorability for Medicare for All, while we continue to work towards that national goal both by protecting and improving Medicare and by building a universal health plan here in our state.

As we wind down 2025, we send everyone the very best holiday wishes. Humans have been celebrating the Solstice, the return of the sun, since before the dawn of agriculture and organized religions, and that shared celebration has always had foundations in how our communities take care of each other. So let’s keep building our solidarity and forge ahead to make 2026 the best we can. Thank you for all that you do.

- HCHR Steering Committee

As always, thank you so much for being a part of this movement for health justice. There is much to navigate but we want to start with the good news. We’re very happy with most of the electoral results across our state and our country, and it signals that we have some positive momentum that is worth celebrating, and building upon. That said, we still have a tall order with the ongoing healthcare access crisis. The federal shutdown has ended but the many MAGA-led assaults on our healthcare system remain a great challenge. In this newsletter, we highlight some of what’s going on at the state and federal levels.  

Our HCHR Winter General Meeting is now set for Tuesday, January 6th, when our coalition members will vote on our 2026 Policy Agenda. (See Upcoming Events below.) Our Policy Committee is hard at work developing our proposals, which will be shared with our member organizations next month. 

With so much going on, we’re grateful to have you with us as we continue to press forward. 

- HCHR Steering Committee