Workforce Pathways Program – Washington State Department of Health

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant health inequities among the diverse Asian American populations in Washington state — communities that are geographically spread out and shaped by various ethnicities, religions, cultures, and languages. Many continued to face barriers to care due to limited resources and a lack of trusted public health professionals who speak their language and understand their cultural needs.

To help close that gap, we set out to spark Asian community members’ interest in public health and related careers. We created educational brochures, posters, videos, and social media posts in six languages, and launched a highly targeted media campaign across YouTube and in-language newspapers — reaching nearly 600,000 people in print and over 1.2 million online. To help educate the communities on what a career in public health looks like, we also partnered with five trusted Asian community organizations for culturally relevant outreach, distributing educational materials and hosting workshops and panel discussions with public health experts.

But we didn’t stop at awareness — we wanted to make sure that those who felt inspired had a way to take the next step. So, together with our partners, we introduced scholarship, internship, and mentorship opportunities across Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Lao communities, offering financial support, hands-on experience, and resources to training and career pathways. Our efforts sparked conversations about public health within the communities. Bit by bit, we helped build a public health workforce that comes from the community — one that is ready to serve with heart, understanding, and purpose.