Adithya Vegaraju organized with the Spokane Alliance (through the Health Equity Circle) for his first two years of medical school in the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine from 2020-2022.

Adithya is now in his fourth year of medical school in the Seattle area. His recent research on senior mental health was featured in the Spokesman Review. 

After studying older adults in urban Washington ZIP codes, the research showed that seniors rated their mental health as better when they were closer to trees and green spaces or water. His research was published in the journal Health and Place.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-corner-of-homelessness-healthcare/id1694794125?i=1000643699202

In this podcast Luis explains his passion for exploring the spectrum of health from acute disease to social factors and their effect on health.

He works with people experiencing homelessness in the Street Medicine program, and teaches students as a clinical assistant professor at WSU’s College of Medicine.  

Kerra is currently deeply engaged with a new project, Raze Development, a non-profit in north Spokane that will offer an inclusive early childhood education center that focuses on culturally-based education for Black students.

Kerra says she was “inspired by the Salish School of Spokane and by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which both celebrate culture and understanding in addition to aligning with her goal to support the education of Black students in Spokane.”

The center will offer much needed extended hours to match parents’ work schedules.

Local Organizers and Leaders Making a Difference

It’s been a busy winter for the Spokane Alliance! Below is a recap of all the great work we have accomplished together in the past few months.  

In this newsletter, you will hear about Friends of Alliance, the current work of our teams, the important policies we are moving forward and meet our newest members.

Last week the Spokane Alliance’s victory to fund mental health support in childcare centers was featured in Mental Health Weekly!  Childcare team Co-chair  Kerra Bower, who is the creator of the pilot program,  was interviewed for the article. She provided an in-depth description of the challenges families and childcare centers have been facing and the goals of the pilot program. 

"More help will now be there for families of young kids. Spokane County commissioners are giving more than $316,000 to three daycares: Little Scholars, Parkview Early Learning, and A Bright New Beginning." Both Little Scholars and Parkview Early Learning are members of Spokane Alliance. 

Spokane Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of churches, unions, and community groups representing more than 20,000 adults in Spokane County, has been working with Kerra Bower of Little Scholars, and many others, to allocate ARPA money coming to Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Spokane County. 

Press Release

On Dec. 6th, Spokane County Commissioners allocated $316,500 in a pilot program at three childcare centers to embed mental health professionals within each center.   They will provide wrap around support for children, their families,  and childcare providers most impacted by the pandemic.

Mayor Woodward wants to prevent the construction of affordable housing by diverting the 1590 Housing Levy funds away from building affordable homes. 

Home. It’s where we lay our heads and make our memories. This most basic of human needs has become out of reach for so many of our neighbors due to dramatic rises in housing prices.

In 2020, the Spokane Alliance organized to ask that the City of Spokane implement a long term, sustainable solution to fund the creation of new affordable housing units. After hearing from members of the Spokane Alliance, FUSE, and the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium (SLIHC), the City agreed to implement a 0.1% local sales tax, intended to generate $6M a year for 20 years and fund the creation of 2000 homes.

On Monday 11/21 and 12/05, we are mobilizing to tell City Council City to keep us on the path to ending homelessness by keeping affordable housing dollars for affordable homes. Join as an audience member or to provide testimony!

We can ensure that everyone has a place to call home in our communities by coming together to protect the Housing Levy funds that we fought for from being raided to patch a hole in the Mayor’s budget.