January 2016

We hope you are looking forward to the opportunity to visit the California State Capitol, network with fellow partners, support advocacy work in the San Joaquin Valley and have your voices heard on issues that are important to your community and region! If your organization’s two representatives haven’t yet signed up, please register online by February 4.

The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund Policy Committee has been working on Guiding Principles and getting ready for the February 11 Capitol Briefing. Please send feedback on the Guiding Principles to Amparo Cid by February 9.

Please join the Policy Committee for its monthly calls to connect with partners and provide input! Download the calendar.

Kings Partnership for Prevention

More than 100 people attended the Kings County Prevention Awards Breakfast on December 3. Participants represented many sectors of the community: nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, media, education, youth-serving organizations, healthcare, tribal agencies, faith-based community, military community, mental health services and county services. See photos from the event on the Kings Partnership for Prevention web site.

Special Shout Outs

• Laurel Firestone from Community Water Center made the list of “9 Californians who play key roles in water policy.” in an article by E&E Publishing. The full story is on the E&E web site.
• Adam Livingston from Sequoia Riverlands Trust authored a report titled Sustainable Communities Strategies and Conservation with support from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the efforts of Liz O’Donoghue and Christa Cassidy of The Nature Conservancy. The full report is available on the Southern Sierra Partnership web site.
• Maricela Mares-Alatorre from Greenaction is on Vida en el Valle’s list of the Central Valley’s influential Latino leaders! Read the article on the Vida en el Valle web site.
• Sammy Nuñez from Fathers and Families of San Joaquin was featured on Capital Public Radio regarding priorities that should be included in the State of the State Address by California Governor Jerry Brown.

Implementation of Proposition 47

In the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s draft Guiding Principles, the Policy Committee says: “We cannot afford to lose another generation of young men of color to the pipeline to prison, thus we are calling for investments in prevention and systemic changes.” Now is your opportunity to call for those investments as the Board of State and Community Corrections held its first public meeting around where the millions from Proposition 47 savings should go.

The Central Valley hearing took place on January 25, but there are still opportunities to provide your input as community residents are prioritizing the savings for youth programs and mental health services. Comments can be submitted electronically to BSCC and you can express your interest to be a voice for your community by joining the Proposition 47 Executive Steering Committee.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced a funding opportunity of up to $157 million to test if screening beneficiaries for health-related social needs and associated referrals to and navigation of community-based services will improve quality and affordability in Medicare and Medicaid. Get information on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services web site.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to provide $1.2 million in grants to community-based organizations that are seeking to address environmental and/or public health concerns in their communities. Proposals are due February 12. Learn more on the Smart Growth web site.

Sierra Health Foundation’s Responsive Grants Program returns this year, with grants up to $15,000 to support projects that improve health and well-being throughout its 26-county funding region, which includes San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County. There will be one funding round in 2016 with a total of $500,000 available. At least 30 percent of available funds will be awarded for projects serving rural areas of the region. Applications are due by March 14 at noon. Learn more and get application materials on the Responsive Grants Program web page.

The Center for Health Program Management’s Conference Center in Merced is available at no charge to nonprofit organizations whose vision and goals are compatible with the Center’s. The Conference Center is located at 521 W. Main St. Learn more and apply for meeting space on the Center web site.

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!

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. These social media pages are resources for collaboration and connection with other organizations doing similar work. Please feel free to post upcoming opportunities, job announcements, etc.

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

The Berkeley Media Studies Group is hosting a series of webinar trainings on media advocacy. Register online.

The Strategic Growth Council is providing individual consultations with its staff to assist applicants interested in applying for the 2015-2016 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program. A workshop will take place in Fresno (2600 Fresno St.) on February 2. Register online.

We encourage all grantees to reach out to their colleagues to collaborate and connect on the system change and advocacy work you are engaged in. To facilitate that connection, we are providing an updated contact list of all current grantees.

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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