Partial federal government shutdown
HCA does not anticipate any immediate impacts to our services or disruption to provider payments at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation and share updates if anything changes.
Office of Community Voices and Empowerment
The Health Care Authority’s (HCA) Office of Community Voices and Empowerment exists to amplify the leadership, wisdom, and lived expertise of communities, especially those who have been historically silenced, excluded, or underserved by systems that impact their daily lives.
On this page
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About us
Our mission is to remove barriers that block community voices and create space for people most impacted by our systems to lead the way forward. We believe communities hold the answers and that real change happens when they have the power and tools to act on them.
How we work
- Centering Community Leadership
- We follow the lead of communities. Their lived experience, insight, and direction shape our priorities and drive our efforts.
- Building Power, Not Dependency
- We support communities with resources, tools, and platforms that strengthen their ability to organize, influence, and create lasting change on their own terms.
- Lifting Every Voice
- We actively engage people whose voices have been left out—Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, disabled, LGBTQ+ individuals, youth, elders, and others disproportionately impacted by our systems.
- Transforming Systems
- We work with communities to challenge practices that create inequity and co-create solutions rooted in justice, healing, and accountability.
- Practicing Shared Decision-Making
- We partner with communities as equals, ensuring shared ownership in decision-making, strategy, and solutions.
- We measure our success not by what we do for communities, but by what communities lead, shape, and accomplish with our support.
- We envision a future where every community has the power, influence, and access to drive change and where their voices guide decisions at every level.
Community voice and leadership
OCVE works with communities to identify opportunities to grow and develop leaders and advocates within Washington's behavioral health systems.
The work of OCVE is guided by a statewide advisory committee made up of individuals, family members, and caregivers who identify as having lived or living expertise within the Washington State behavioral health system.
Learn more about the office, including the background and about the office's work.
Get involved
There are many ways to get involved with office activities:
- Sign up for our mailing list
- View a list of opportunities for engagement for people with lived experience
Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy
OCVE works closely with the Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy (OBHA). OBHA has behavioral health advocates (formerly known as behavioral health ombuds), who are peers with lived experience that provide free and confidential services. They serve as neutral and confidential intermediaries and provide an informal process to support people in resolving complaints related to behavioral health programs, services, and providers.
They also host regional community forums where you can discuss your region's behavioral health system. Find your region to share your thoughts with OBHA.
Portraits of Hope and Wellness in Recovery video
The Portraits of Hope video series contains 12 videos, eight themed and four individual portraits of community members. The videos share experiences, strength, hope, and resiliency while covering topics like stigma, hope, early recovery, and wellness. Watch all the videos on YouTube.