Native American Health Sciences receives WSAC Regional Challenge Grant  

Washington State University’s Native American Health Sciences was selected as one of five recipients of the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) Regional Challenge Grant, receiving nearly $250,000 to support pathway programs.  

The Regional Challenge Grant program awards competitive grants to regional partnerships that work to increase postsecondary attainment and credential completion, and close opportunity gaps for students.  

“WSAC is excited to expand the state’s investment in community partnerships to expand opportunities for all Washington residents,” said Michael Meotti, executive director for WSAC. “These new partnerships will help the state learn how to best serve populations that face many barriers to college and career pathways, including Native Americans, Latinx communities and the adult population.”  

The WSU Native American Health Sciences partnership will coordinate K-12 and college-centered pathway programs in the health sciences for Indigenous youth and adults across five tribal lands of our state, including the Spokane Tribe of Indians, The Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Yakama Nation, and The Kalispel Tribe of Indians. This work is a direct reflection of requests by tribal elders and community members to support their youth in becoming healthcare workers who can, in turn, support their communities.  

The partnership includes multiple higher education institutions and community leaders deeply embedded within their respective communities. NAHS will center its work on an approach to healthcare and medicine that honors its relationship with the land. While NAHS is located in Spokane, most of this work will take place on tribal lands in Central and Eastern Washington. This partnership can create change within education and healthcare systems by centering trusted relationships in this work.