The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe was recently selected as the state’s first Health Equity Zone for Native communities and will receive $200,000 a year for at least two years to help identify health priorities and develop action plans, the state Department of Health has announced.

The Health Equity Zones Initiative, passed by the state legislature in 2021, aims to reduce health inequities, a DOH news release says. Differences in neighborhood conditions can influence who is healthy, who is sick and who lives longer. The initiative creates an opportunity for DOH to better honor the contributions of communities, whose voices and knowledge have been historically undervalued, in advancing health equity by centering them in the decision-making processes, per the release.

The panel, which is made up of native people from across the state, has worked over the past year to shape the zone selection process. The panel reviewed 10 applications and selected a zone after two days of discussion and deliberation, the release states.

“We believe that the visionary work of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe has the potential to set a precedent here and across the country,” a statement from the panel says. “We are excited to select a tribe that is exercising their sovereignty and reclaiming connections to their homelands. This not only impacts relatives now, but also future generations as they assert their self-determination and self-governance.”