What Is a Landscape Assessment

At SWACH, our work begins with listening — to both data and the lived experiences of people across Southwest Washington. A landscape assessment is one of the most effective ways to do this. It’s a structured process for gathering and analyzing information about the social, economic, and health realities in our communities.

This process combines multiple sources: public health data, surveys, interviews, external analysis by CORE, and listening sessions with residents and partners. It also includes community voice and partner insights that help us understand the barriers people face and the strengths they draw on. The goal is to create an accurate, equity-centered picture of community needs and assets.

Our most recent landscape assessment, completed in early 2025, revealed critical patterns in health disparities across Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania counties. We found that structural inequities — rooted in racism, poverty, and rural isolation — are driving major gaps in access to care, health outcomes, and overall well-being.

How SWACH Showed Up: Approach and Impact

Equity was built into our approach from the start. We intentionally sought input from voices that are often excluded from traditional planning processes. This was done through a series of events like the Environmental Health Disparities Roundtable in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), SWACH’s Coffee and Connect, and Rural Mapping.

The resulting framework now informs every major decision we make — from how funding is allocated, to programmatic decisions, to setting legislative priorities. The landscape assessment didn’t just give us data; it gave us a guideline. By clearly identifying who is most affected, we’ve laid the foundation for more targeted, responsive, and inclusive health equity work across Southwest Washington.