Two Award Announcements Totaling $1.25 Million
Health Sciences and Services Authority (HSSA) of Spokane decided on two matching grant awards for bioscience based economic development at the April 2025 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
HSSA Executive Director Erin Williams Hueter shares, “Both grantees are tech companies working to address administrative and professional challenges in the healthcare system that create challenges to access to care and are well poised to address HSSA’s priorities of improved health and healthcare, well-paying job creation, and powering future growth in Spokane County.”
A phase one award of $250,000 was made to Credential Network. The provider credentialling firm plans to hire five in Spokane County with two positions supported by their HSSA award.
"Credential Network chose Spokane as our home not just by chance, but because of the incredible ecosystem we discovered here. From local VCs to passionate founders willing to grab coffee at a moment's notice, we found a thriving tech scene that has embraced us with open arms. The HSSA grant program exemplifies the unique support system that exists in Spokane—providing not just funding, but a true partnership in our mission to transform healthcare credentialing. As we build a company with national reach, we're committed to growing our roots in Spokane, hiring local talent, and ensuring that the healthcare organizations here are among the first to benefit from the technology being developed in their own backyard." says Credential Network CEO Dylan Avatar.
A phase two award totaling $1,000,000 was made to Litehouse Health to retain jobs created in phase one, create new jobs and support the use of local contractors with the Spokane based firm working to address staffing for hospital nurses.“HSSA is an incredible program. It has made a demonstrable difference in helping us scale our young company. We are grateful to Spokane County for establishing and funding HSSA. It creates jobs and improves health in our community. HSSA helps all of us thrive!" says Litehouse CEO David Heath.
HSSA closed its final Request for Proposals under the existing scoring criteria on March first and is aligning upcoming funding opportunities with the Strategic Plan adopted in the fall of 2024. Details regarding future funding opportunities should be available later this year.