September 2016

Staff from the Center for Health Program Management have begun visiting all 58 San Joaquin Valley Health Fund partners and, so far, 16 partners have welcomed us to their organizations. We expect to visit the remaining 42 partners over the next several months.

All 16 partners are debunking the myth that there isn’t capacity in the San Joaquin Valley and are passionately saying, “This isn’t work, it’s personal.” It truly is personal. We are inspired by all of you who have shared stories of growing up in the San Joaquin Valley, of leaving to attend college or fulfill a professional dream, and of returning to the community that raised you because you feel a personal responsibility to bring real change that promotes health and well-being for all, grounded by the voice of community.

We were reminded of the deep roots in the San Joaquin Valley, with people standing up, speaking up and marching to ensure justice for all, when staff at Little Manila Foundation shared the rich and vibrant history of Filipino leadership in the farm worker movement. Advancing health and racial equity in the San Joaquin Valley isn’t work, it’s personal.

Photo credit: 1948 Asparagus Strike March, from Stockton FANHS Photo Collection

We will announce Round 3 funding opportunity details in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please mark your calendar to join us for one of the following informational meetings.

• October 11: Webinar – 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• October 13: Proposers Conference in Bakersfield – Time and location to be announced
• November 2: Webinar – 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

We will include registration details in the funding announcement and on the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund web page. Participation is encouraged for those who plan to apply for funding, but it is not required.

We are pleased to announce that the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund will expand to include Kern County for Round 3 funding.

Stone Soup Fresno is a nonprofit organization that has served the Southeast Asian community over the last 20 years. They provide programs in early childhood education, parent engagement, education advocacy and cultural preservation. As a San Joaquin Valley Health Fund partner, Stone Soup has collaborated with local and national partners on issues such as proposing recommendations for Fresno Unified’s English Language Learner Master Plan, and advocating for better collection and reporting of data, particularly within the very diverse Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

In the last several months, Stone Soup has led efforts in educating and gathering support from the community for data disaggregation to reveal the economic, health and educational disparities within the AAPI communities. In a study conducted by the Campaign for College Opportunity, State of Higher Education in California, in September 2015, data indicated that the percentage of 11th grade AAPI students who are college ready in English and math is 47% and 31%. However, when the data is broken down, the percentage of college-ready Hmong students is significantly lower, at 11% in English and 6% in math. Stone Soup Fresno’s effort to disaggregate data has been in collaboration with other advocates of the Southeast Asian community, such as SJVHF partners Southeast Asia Resource Action Center and Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries.

Data disaggregation will help identify and support some of the health challenges that are unique to specific AAPI groups. For instance, some subgroups are more prone to certain health problems such as diabetes, stroke and gout. Accurate and available data will allow policymakers and community organizations to respond more effectively to the community’s unique challenges.

Among its efforts to advocate for better and more reflective data, Stone Soup made visits to educate legislators about the importance of data disaggregation to Southeast Asian families in the Central Valley.

Recently, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1726, the AHEAD Act, into law, which is an important step in the implementation of data desegregation.

Note: While SJVHF partners cannot use SJVHF funds for lobbying, 501c3 nonprofit organizations can lobby legally with their other funds that are not restricted. For additional information and tools, visit the Alliance for Justice web site.

At our August meeting, 36 SJVHF Policy Committee members joined the meeting in-person or via video conferencing. SJVHF partner The Utility Reform Network (TURN) presented on the health impacts of utility shutoffs and their advocacy to ensure that the voices of low-income San Joaquin Valley families are heard. TURN also shared opportunities for SJVHF policy committee members to get involved in their regional efforts to end utility shut-offs.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Asian Law Caucus was invited to share information about their regional effort for a non-partisan Election Protection Project and Language Access Program, which is funded in part by SJVHF funding partner the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. SJVHF partners who are interested in engaging in this regional effort may be eligible for mini-grants directly from AAAJ-ALC. For more information, contact Jonathan Stein, Staff Attorney and Program Manager, Voting Rights Program at AAAJ–ALC.

Join us at the next Policy Committee meeting on Wednesday, October 19, at the Center for Health Program Management’s San Joaquin Valley office at 521 W. Main St. in Merced from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To learn more about the Policy Committee’s ongoing work, please contact Program Officer Amparo Cid or Program Associate Nora Dunlap.

Second Annual Immigrant Integration Conference
This Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative event brought together immigrant advocates and allies – community-based organizations, community leaders, researchers, policymakers – from across the Valley. The conference, which took place on September 26 in Fresno, focused on the economic, civic, socio-cultural and linguistic integration of immigrants in our communities. Keynote addresses spoke to the importance of immigrant integration in the Central Valley and included Felicia Escobar, Special Assistant to the President for Immigration Policy at the White House; Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula; and Mariela Melero, Associate Director of Customer Service and Public Engagement Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The event also included a panel discussion on “An Immigrant Integration Strategy for the Central Valley” with panel participants including Sally Kinoshita from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Program Officer Amparo Cid representing the SJVHF, Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, Gina Da Silva from the California Immigrant Policy Center, and Leoncio Vasquez with Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño. Participants focused on the economic, civic, socio-cultural and linguistic integration of immigrants in our communities, while identifying next steps for moving forward on strategies that will spur the work being done in the areas of health, civic participation and education.

Second Annual Reinvent South Stockton Resident Summit
Over the last year, Reinvent South Stockton Coalition has been working with numerous partners and the City of Stockton to build the South Stockton Promise Zone. Although they were not designated as a Promise Zone community by the federal government, the City of Stockton and the Coalition moved forward on their vision for a healthier South Stockton at the 2nd Annual Resident Summit. Topics discussed included health, violence prevention, housing, education, economic and community development, and community improvement awards. This summit was another inspiring example of community partners coming together to transform the community.

Guelaguetza 2016: A Celebration of Indigenous Communities from Oaxaca
For Centro Binacional Para El Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), promoting the culture of their indigenous communities is part of their mission. On September 25, they held Guelaguetza 2016 at Calwa Park in Fresno. Guelaguetza has been organized in Fresno since 1999 with the aim of preserving and disseminating the culture of indigenous communities from Oaxaca. For attendees, it is an opportunity to experience the rich culture and traditions of Oaxaca while celebrating indigenous communities.

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation – Luchando Por Justicia
On September 30, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation will celebrate 35 years of rural justice work. CRLAF engages in impact litigation, community education and outreach, and policy advocacy for marginalized communities. At their 35th Luchando Por Justicia celebration, they will honor Sacramento Mayor-Elect Darrell Steinberg with a special introduction by Judge Emily E. Vasquez. Register for the event online.

Coming Out For Justice – Annual ACT for Women and Girl’s event
This annual event raises awareness of intersectional social justice issues that impact our communities. The event hosts musical and theatrical performances that highlight social justice issues from regional and local artists, such as spoken word, breakdancing and Aztec ceremonies. On October 21, Coming Out for Justice will be held at The Lumber Yard in Visalia, featuring voter registration and non-partisan information. For more information, contact Erin Garner-Ford, Executive Director, ACT for Women and Girls.

Community Water Center Celebrates 10 Years
On September 22, the Community Water Center (CWC) hosted their annual Water Justice Celebration at the Visalia community art venue 210 Cafe. It has been 10 years since CWC began working on water justice in the Central Valley.

Bringing Healthy Food Into the Community
Fresno Food Commons and Cultiva La Salud are partnering on an innovative mobile produce cart to bring healthy food options to some of Fresno’s most under-served areas. They will use mobile bicycles to travel through neighborhoods, set up at community events and provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Learn more.

Sierra Health Foundation’s Speaker Series
Sierra Health Foundation invites SJVHF partners to its next Speaker Series event, Achieving Equity in Behavioral Health Care: Policy and Practice, featuring Larke Nahme Huang, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Partners may join the event in Sacramento or a telecast at the Center for Health Program Management office in Merced. Please register online by September 30. If you are unable to travel to Merced or Sacramento to attend the event, but have an interest in remote access, please register here (limited availability). Send any questions to Conference and Education Center Manager Samantha Garcia.

California SILC Legislative Specialist
The State Independent Living Council (SILC) is looking for a Legislative Specialist to work in Sacramento. This person will manage the work of the three SILC committees and intensive preparation for quarterly meetings. Learn more.

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability is hiring a Policy Advocate and a Staff Attorney for their Bakersfield office.

Lead in Drinking Water: What You Should Know
Lead in drinking water can cause significant and lasting health problems such as slow development, behavioral issues and brain damage. Children of color and children living in low-income communities bear a disproportionately high burden of lead exposures and lead toxicity.

As part of W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s comprehensive approach to improving health conditions for children and their families, the foundation, in partnership with the Horsley Witten Group, has created tools to support parents and families to understand the risks that exposure to lead present, learn about the ways in which lead can contaminate water and take action to reduce their exposure to it. Learn more.

Meeting Space in Merced
The Center for Health Program Management’s Conference Center helps organizations working to improve health equity in the San Joaquin Valley achieve their mission by providing a venue for education, training and collaboration. Nonprofit organizations whose vision and goals are compatible with the Center’s are encouraged to apply for use of the facility free of charge. The Conference Center is located at 521 W. Main St. in Merced. Learn more.

SJVHF Video Series
Part 1: Learn about the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund, meet three grantee partners who are doing great work in the Valley and hear from three of the funding partners.

Part 2: SJVHF partners are working to make the Valley a healthier place to live, work and prosper. This second video highlights grantee partners and the work they are doing in the Valley.

Peer Learning
We encourage peer learning and sharing among SJVHF partners. To facilitate regional collaboration on systems and policy change work, we encourage you to reach out to your fellow colleagues using this contact list of all 58 funded partners.

This newsletter is for you and is by you. Please share stories, photos and upcoming events to be included in the newsletter. Contact Nora Dunlap.

If you or your organization tweets, please use the hashtag #SJVHF to call attention to the work you are doing in San Joaquin Valley communities!

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Sierra Health Foundation
The California Endowment
Rosenberg Foundation
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The California Wellness Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation
Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

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