When the coronavirus pandemic began the Spokane Alliance quickly organized to meet a critical community need: stress on the healthcare system. With support from the WSU Elson S. Floyd School of Medicine and in coordination with the Spokane Regional Health District, the Spokane Alliance created the Community Health Monitoring Program to provide support and connection to COVID patients quarantining at home.

When people test positive for COVID-19 and are asked to self-quarantine at home, they can opt into our free Community Health monitoring program. Patients receive a pulse oximeter to self-monitor their heart rate levels and oxygen levels at home. A trained volunteer calls patients to support and check up on them for ten days, and patients can also receive a non-medical resource guide for issues such as lack of food access and domestic violence. If patients experience worsening symptoms they are put in touch with a volunteer medial provider. Over 300 volunteers have been trained and ten local medical providers with rotating six-hour shifts have been committed to answering hotline calls from COVID-19 patients.

If you or someone you know would like to enroll or know more about the program, please email [email protected] or call 509-262-5237 ext. 1.

The community health monitoring program is opened to all communities, especially those who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 including people of low-income, immigrants, and people of color. The program has given sick people and volunteers a purpose during this uncertain time. With many patients living alone, volunteers have helped patients get through recovery and improve their mental health. The program has allowed people to find hope and unite the community since most volunteers communicate over the phone.

Governor Jay Inslee has commended the program for its efforts to bring people together, and Ravneet Waraich, WSU med student, was also named Washingtonian of the Day for her contributions to the program. Thanks to funding from the Innovia Foundation and the WSU College of Medicine, the Spokane Alliance’s Community Health Monitoring Program remains committed to achieving health equity for all in the community.