WPSR Task Forces head to Olympia for first ever Lobby Day!
This April, health professionals and advocates from Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) came together in Olympia for the first time, hosting an in-person Lobby Day at the state capitol.
Nearly twenty members of WPSR’s Climate and Health Task Force and Economic Inequity and Health Task Forces met with more than 30 legislative offices to discuss our priorities and push for bold policies that prioritize health and address the existential threats of our time.
Throughout the day, WPSR’s team advocated for:
✔️ Fully funding the Climate Commitment Act (CCA)—to ensure that clean air, community resilience, and environmental justice stay at the heart of Washington’s climate policy
✔️ Raising progressive revenue to fund essential public services like housing, health care, and climate resilience, especially for those most burdened by pollution and inequality
✔️ Expanding access to electrification and weatherization programs—particularly for renters and low-income families vulnerable to extreme heat and unhealthy indoor air
Senator Vandana Slatter, a health professional herself and WPSR ally, spoke to the group in the morning offering powerful reflections on her own path from medicine to policymaking. She commended the group’s efforts to ground climate action in real health outcomes and highlighted recent wins like legislation to reduce emissions from anesthetic gases which is a direct result of WPSR’s advocacy.
Across all meetings, one theme was clear: WPSR members were sharing stories from the frontlines. They spoke of patients with asthma and COPD worsened by wildfire smoke and heat waves, mental health harms spiking in young people experiencing climate anxiety, and the health impacts of those with limited access to housing.
Members of the Economic Inequity and Health Task Force kicked off their day with an early start, providing testimony in committee on the need for progressive revenue packages as a way to ensure we have the funding needed to provide essential services for Washingtonians. These testimonies resonated deeply with legislative staff and elected officials alike.
The group also emphasized that health equity and climate justice must be inseparable. They uplifted the urgent need to direct Climate Commitment Act funding toward communities most impacted by pollution and environmental injustice—particularly communities of color, tribal nations, low-income households, and workers exposed to extreme weather.
WPSR is proud of this collective action—and we’re just getting started. We will continue fighting for clean air, safe housing, climate resilience, and economic justice—because protecting public health means protecting the systems we all rely on.
👉 Want to get involved in future advocacy efforts? Sign up for action alerts and join one of our Task Forces. Together, we’re building a healthier, more equitable future for all Washingtonians.
