The Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts has served as the trade association for Washington State's public hospital districts since 1952, first as an unincorporated association and since 1998 as a non-profit corporation. Each of the member public hospital districts is a governmental entity created by state law. Each public hospital district is governed by a board of publicly elected commissioners.

The Association's activities can generally be divided into two categories: education and advocacy. The Association provides educational services and opportunities to its members through publications and newsletters, training programs and a comprehensive legal manual identifying and explaining the legal powers and duties of public hospital districts. The Association's educational activities focus on the unique characteristics of being a governmental entity and improving the delivery and accessibility of health care in hospital district communities. The Association provides members with updates of changes in state and federal law likely to impact public hospital districts.

The Association also provides an opportunity for members to expand their capabilities as hospital district administrators and board members by providing a forum for networking with their peers. Those networking opportunities permit the administrators and board members to learn from others' experience and promote cooperative activities and affiliations among different public hospital districts.

The Association engages in advocacy in order to promote: (1) increased accessibility to and affordability of health care services; and (2) improved health status of communities throughout Washington State. The Association works to create policy and engages in advocacy on vision-driven issues and topics of special interest to public hospital districts. The Association works to increase the visibility of public hospital districts as health providers and counteract a negative perception of "government."