Meet Our 2025-2026 Core Team
The Spokane chapter of the HEC brings together students from Washington State University, University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, Whitworth University, Spokane Community College, and Gonzaga University. We are a member of the Spokane Alliance and have teams working on the following issues.
Lead Organizers
Olivia Willis, Anna MacCamy
Lead organizers seek to build relations within the team, recruit new members, plan HEC events, and train new leaders. We also work with action teams to help promote their actions, and make connections to the larger Spokane community. For any questions, contact Olivia ([email protected]) and Anna ([email protected]).
Child Health Action Team
Leads: Rachel Imhof, Shaheer Husain
The Child Health Action Team is committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of children in Spokane. We are predominantly focused on affordable child care, and our community partners include Vanessa Behan, Lumen High School, GLOW Children Early Learning Center, and Spokane Alliance. We are excited to build further connections with organizations and individuals who are passionate about child health. Please reach out to Rachel ([email protected]) and Shaheer ([email protected]) if you are interested in learning more.
Food Justice Action Team
Leads: Lexi Linker, Brooke Haines
The Food Justice Action Team is committed to addressing food insecurity in Spokane through direct community support and educational outreach. We aim to assist with food distribution for vulnerable populations by collaborating with local organizations, and to provide educational programs on topics like the history and context of food insecurity in Spokane, weight bias in medicine, and culturally attuned food practices. Our goal is to promote equitable access to nutritious food and foster a deeper understanding of food justice in our community. Please reach out to Lexi ([email protected]) or Brooke ([email protected]) if you are interested in learning more.
Harm Reduction Action Team
Leads: Katelyn Costanza, Morgan E. Smith, Olivia Willis
The Harm Reduction Action Team is committed to supporting harm-reduced based community partners in Spokane and engaging future healthcare professionals about the principles of harm reduction to reduce the negative health, social, and legal impacts associated with addiction and drug use. We advocate for policies, programs, and practices that focus on reinforcing positive change and working with people without judgment, coercion, or discrimination. We strive to understand and develop compassion around the realities of social inequalities, including poverty, class, racism, social isolation, past trauma, and sex-based discriminations and how they affect both people’s vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with drug-related harm. If you are interested in learning more about our team's involvement in Spokane, please reach out to Katelyn ([email protected]) and Morgan ([email protected]).
The Harm Reduction team has partnered with Washington Students for Community Health (WSCH) and CHAS Health to develop the homeless accompaniment program.
Racial Equity Action Team
Lead: Pranathi Darbha
Please reach out to Pranathi ([email protected]) if you are interested in learning more.
Refugee and Immigrant Health Action Team
Leads: Ally Tran, Mitali Kumar
Please reach out to Ally ([email protected]) or Mitali ([email protected]) if you are interested in learning more.
Spokane Alliance Delegate
Payton Bouwhuis
As the Spokane Alliance Delegate, I am deeply committed to elevating the voices of our Spokane community in the pursuit of a more just and inclusive environment for all. Through collaboration with the Spokane Alliance and the Health Equity Circle, I aim to help bridge the divides that persist in our community by driving meaningful, actionable change to advance health equity. By fostering strong partnerships and centering the lived experiences of our neighbors, I believe we can develop inclusive, solution-focused strategies that address disparities and create lasting, positive impact. If you have any questions or would like to get in contact, please email Payton ([email protected]).
College of Nursing Representative
TBD
The College of Nursing Representative works to engage the Spokane College of Nursing in Health Equity Circle events and engagements and also represent the College of Nursing’s values within our core team.
Gonzaga University Representative
Arisa Cunningham
As the Gonzaga University representative, I bring undergraduate students into the Health Equity Circle community, connecting with the core team and on-campus offices to increase awareness of health disparities and ways to get involved with issues of health equity on and off campus. If you have questions or want to get involved, please reach out to Alisa ([email protected]).