August 2020 

The Sacramento County COVID-19 Collaborative is a new community partnership supported by the Sacramento County Division of Public Health, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and multi-ethnic community-based organizations. “The Collab” supports community members and business owners with up-to-date information, guidelines and resources to stay informed and to stay healthy. Trained Business Navigators, Contact Tracers and Resource Coordinators work in neighborhoods that are experiencing the worst impacts of COVID-19. Visit the Collab web site to learn more and access resources.

We’re pleased to introduce Laura Jackson, who recently joined our team to serve as a Program Officer for our new Contact Tracing project with the Sacramento County COVID-19 Collaborative (see above article). In this role, Laura works to advance grantmaking and local contact tracing strategies through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, public sector institutions and other funders to further the efforts of the Contact Tracing program.

Before joining Sierra Health Foundation and The Center, Laura served as the Associate Director of Clinical Quality at WellSpace Health, where she led multiple initiatives focused on improving the quality of care for their members. Previously, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, where she received multiple diversity grants and developed programs for underserved populations in the areas of chronic disease management, perinatal care and musculoskeletal pain management. Her specific areas of interest include the use of technology to improve the health of underserved populations, and she recently published research in this area. Laura stays active in the community by giving educational talks on many health and lifestyle topics and is a guest lecturer at CSU Sacramento. She has a PhD in Public Health.

Sierra Health Foundation and The Center are launching and expanding programs, including the African American Behavioral Health Program, the Elevate Youth California – Youth Substance Use Disorder Prevention Program, the Asthma Mitigation Project, the Medication Assisted Treatment Access Points Project and the Positive Youth Justice Initiative. We have several new openings for program officers, program associates and program assistants, as well as an evaluation assistant and a grants and contracts management associate.

Visit our Employment Opportunities web page to learn about the positions and apply online.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease, with 5.5 million children affected nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research says that in California, one in six children (1.5 million) has been diagnosed with asthma, and it is one of the leading causes of hospitalization. Although asthma affects Americans of all ages, races and ethnic groups, low-income and minority populations suffer substantially higher fatality rates, hospital admissions and emergency department visits due to asthma, according to Regional Asthma Management & Prevention.

The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, awarded $10 million to 22 nonprofit organizations, community-based health care providers, health departments and managed care organizations through the Asthma Mitigation Project. Funded partners will provide culturally and linguistically appropriate asthma home visiting services to individuals with poorly controlled asthma. The project focuses on low-income communities and communities of color who have disproportionate rates of asthma. Learn more and see the list of awardees.

The Asthma Mitigation Project is funded by the Department of Health Care Services and is managed by The Center.

Through a partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation is administering the Medi-Cal Health Navigator Project in Amador, Calaveras, Lassen and Solano counties. The Center will award sub-grants to a cohort of community-based organization partners to help facilitate Medi-Cal enrollment and retention in Amador, Calaveras, Lassen and Solano counties.

The Center is accepting qualification submissions from consultants to develop and implement a data collection plan for the project. The selected consultant will support the collection of required enrollment and retention data by funded community partners, train and provide technical assistance to funded community partners on data collection tools/systems, and prepare data for monthly and quarterly reporting to the Department of Health Care Services, The Center and other key stakeholders. Access the request for qualifications.

Elevate Youth California is a statewide program supporting community leaders who are addressing substance use disorder by investing in leadership development and activism of youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth ages 12 to 26. Funding of $21.5 million is supporting 26 grantee partners.

We are excited to launch the Elevate Youth California web site for program partners and the public. This site is the go-to resource for program information, materials, toolkits and technical assistance, as well as funding opportunities.

Elevate Youth California is a program of the California Department of Health Care Services funded through Proposition 64. The Center at Sierra Health Foundation is contracted to support implementation of the program.

Thank you to our partners and community members who have donated to our three regional response funds. Together, you have pledged $6,585,037! Distributions to 126 nonprofit partners total $6,174,419 to benefit our vulnerable neighbors, small businesses, low-wage workers and others who are impacted by the pandemic. We are disbursing additional grants to community partners as we receive pledged funds.

We continue to accept donations and pledges for ongoing and long-term support. Learn more and make donations on the three response fund web pages:

Donate4Sacramento COVID-19 Regional Response Fund
Northern California COVID-19 Response Fund
San Joaquin Valley Health Fund COVID-19 Response Cluster

U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham earlier this month announced that the bureau will end field data collection by September 30. Self-response options also will close on that date. According to the statement, under this updated plan, the Census Bureau intends to meet a similar level of household responses as collected in prior censuses, including outreach to hard-to-count communities. Learn more on the Census Bureau web site.

California Census Office resources
The California Census Office Resources web page includes materials, toolkits, guides and maps to help spread the message about the importance of participating in the 2020 Census.

San Joaquin Valley Census Huddle
This weekly update includes news, action items, resources, county updates, learning opportunities and funding opportunities for census partners across the San Joaquin Valley. Access the Census Huddle archive on The Center web site.

Today, the State Legislature will vote on AB 1868 and SB 823. This legislation is written to advance racial equity in California and create meaningful state oversight of a realigned youth justice system, invest in evidence-based approaches for high-needs youth, and prevent the transfer of youth to adult prisons—85% of whom are Black or Latino.

Reimagining Juvenile Detention Facilities in California Can Heal Our Youth is a blog published today by Dr. Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of The California Endowment, and Chet P. Hewitt, president and CEO of Sierra Health Foundation and The Center at Sierra Health Foundation.

Recent op-eds

• Witness LA: Oversight Essential as State Shifts Youth Justice Role to CA’s Counties by Chet P. Hewitt and Shane Murphy Goldsmith
• Sacramento News and Review: Do better for youths of color by Daniel Mendoza

Visions of Reform

The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform partnered with The Beat Within to create Visions of Reform, a special publication that elevates the voices of those most impacted by mass incarceration and their powerful thoughts on systemic reform. Writers and artists from within California's prison institutions submitted moving essays and artwork offering emotional and insightful ideas around what a more humane and restorative justice system could look like.