Collaboration Examples

Emergency Preparedness in Washington

One example of successful government-to-government collaboration between tribes, state, and local jurisdictions was the creation of a Mutual Aid Agreement for emergency preparedness in Washington State. This agreement provides a legal framework to allow tribes and local health jurisdictions to share resources during a public health emergency. It is based on the recognition that during an emergency, tribes and local governments are closest to the situation, particularly in rural areas, and will likely be the first to respond.

This project was a long time coming. After several unsuccessful attempts over a period of more than 20 years, one region within the state created an agreement between its three counties and seven tribes. In 2016, Washington’s American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) led a process to update and expand the agreement to two additional regions, with financial support from the state Department of Health. The process was valuable, in addition to the resulting agreement. AIHC involved political leaders, staff members, and attorneys from both local health jurisdictions and tribes in a series of meetings and workshops that helped build the common understanding and trust needed to negotiate successfully. Key factors in AIHC’s success included:

• Engaging in continuous communication
• Providing drafts for comment
• Facilitating face to face meetings
• Involving attorneys from the beginning

The final agreement lays out the legal technicalities for cooperating during an emergency, however, the process also created:

• An implementation guide with checklists and other practical tools
• A commitment to conduct joint exercises and trainings
• A partnership and sense of trust that can be applied to other projects

Learn more at the American Indian Health Commission’s website:

• Overview
• Agreement
• Report
• Guide

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