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Sierra Health Foundation Partnerships

Speaker Series explores demographic change in California communities

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Our most recent Speaker Series event brought together experts and stakeholders in demography, policy, legislation, planning and community development to look at Embracing Demographic Change to Move California’s Communities Forward: A Lifespan Perspective. We hosted this forum in partnership with eight philanthropic partners and AARP California to explore the implications of California’s rapidly changing aging profile.

The Nov. 1 program included discussions on the social determinants of health and how disparities that racial and ethnic populations experience throughout their lifespan may impact their health, safety and living conditions. The recent Milken Institute report, Best Cities for Successful Aging, and emerging strategies for improving community livability also were discussed.

Thank you to our sponsoring partners: AARP California, Archstone Foundation, California Health Care Foundation, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Grantmakers in Aging, The Health Trust, Metta Fund, Placer Community Foundation and The San Diego Foundation.

See the event video, presentations and resources on the Speaker Series web page.

Photo of Speaker Series panel

Pictured left to right are: Catherine Perez, NIA Pre-doctoral Fellow, Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California; Caroline Servat, Associate, Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging; Linnea Edmeier, Managing Editor for News and Information, Capital Public Radio; and Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D., Director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging.

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Black Child Legacy Campaign annual report shows movement in reducing child deaths

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The Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths and the Black Child Legacy Campaign presented their 2016-17 annual report to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 14. The supervisors heard from the Steering Committee co-chairs and other Steering Committee members, service providers and community members who have benefited from services.

The report includes numbers that indicate encouraging movement in the effort to reduce African American child deaths by 10 percent to 20 percent in the county by 2020. More than 3,000 people have been reached with resources, 500 youth have been engaged through community activities, 100 professional development training hours have deepened knowledge, skills and abilities of community partners, and $1 million has been secured for direct service and cultural broker support.

The annual report and other publications are available on the Black Child Legacy Campaign web site.

Read recent articles in The Sacramento Bee and The Sacramento Observer, and watch an ABC10 news report.

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Pictured are community members who showed support for the Black Child Legacy Campaign at the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting.

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Fresno Legal Defense Fund launched

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The Center and Sierra Health Foundation joined Faith in the Valley, philanthropic partners and community members to launch the Fresno Legal Defense Fund on Nov. 17. The Fund will help provide legal representation for Fresno County immigrants threatened by deportation who are unable to find or afford an attorney. Supporters gathered outside the Fresno County Courthouse to symbolically represent one of the Fund’s core values – the basic right to due process and legal representation for all who need it.

The Fund is supported by Wells Fargo, the Latino Community Foundation and Sierra Health Foundation. The Center will serve as its fiscal sponsor. These organizations and several individuals have made contributions totaling more than $30,000 in seed funding.

For more information, visit the Faith in the Valley web site.

Photo at Fresno Legal Defense Fund gathering

Pictured are Sierra Health Foundation and The Center President and CEO Chet P. Hewitt speaking at the Fresno Legal Defense Fund launch with community members.

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Assemblymember Arambula speaks on San Joaquin Valley policy priorities at partner convening

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Photo of Assemblymember Arambula

The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund hosted a partner convening in Merced on Nov. 16 with representatives from 71 community partner organizations and 11 supporting foundations who are working collectively to improve health in the San Joaquin Valley.

Partners heard about the policy priorities of Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (CA-31), learned how to build their capacity to communicate strategically about their work, and shared their experience and expertise through peer exchange and learning sessions. Partners provided updates on policy work under way for education, the environment, immigration and land use. See a video of Assemblymember Arambula’s presentation.

Learn more about this work on the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund web page.

Pictured is Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula.

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Partners build capacity, collective power for juvenile justice reform

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Partners from the 11 funded Positive Youth Justice Initiative organizations located throughout California gathered at Sierra Health Foundation on Nov. 8 and 9 for an energetic and strategic Learning Community. Throughout the two days, partners worked to develop a framework for investing in the leadership capacity of young people directly impacted by the juvenile justice system, engaged with technical assistance providers to advance collaborative capacity and further local impact, and discovered ways to leverage internal strengths among the funded partner organizations.

The Learning Community included a presentation by David Inocencio and Lisa Lavaysee from The Beat Within, a nonprofit that provides youth engaged in the juvenile justice system with opportunities to share their ideas and life experiences in a safe space that encourages literacy, self-expression, critical thinking skills, and healthy, supportive relationships with adults and their community. The Positive Youth Justice Initiative partnered with The Beat Within to publish a special issue with poetry and artwork by young people from the partner organizations. See Through Their Eyes: Young People’s Written Truths.

Learn more about this work on the Positive Youth Justice Initiative web page.

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Pictured are Positive Youth Justice Initiative partners.

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Leadership Development for Racial Equity retreat focuses on culturally based storytelling

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The Leadership Development for Racial Equity program strengthens the capacity of organizations with leaders of color who work with youth in low-income communities of color to address racial inequities through policy and system change.

Photo of LDRE Learning Community

On Nov. 20, the current cohort of funded partners convened at Sierra Health Foundation for a Learning Community retreat that focused on Leadership Investment: The Journey and Process of Including Culturally Based Community Voice, Realities and Stories for Healing and Development, led by Jerry Tello of the National Compadres Network. Mr. Tello is internationally recognized for his work in family strengthening, therapeutic healing, cross-cultural issues and motivational speaking. At this gathering, partners learned how to strengthen their narratives and discovered mindful processes to make deeper connections in their organizations and with each other.

Learn more about this work on the Leadership Development for Racial Equity web page.

Pictured is Jerry Tello presenting at the Learning Community.

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Cultiva La Salud partners with The Center

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Photo of Cultiva La Salud staff

The Center recently became a fiscal sponsor for Cultiva La Salud, a Fresno-based organization that works to promote healthy eating and active living among low-income families. Cultiva’s efforts are focused in six communities in Fresno County including Kerman, Lowell, Parlier, Reedley, Sanger and West Fresno, as well as Ceres in Stanislaus County.

Pictured are Cultiva La Salud staff members Brandie Banks-Bey, Erica Cuellar, Brijet Hampton, Genoveva Islas, Yolanda Leal, Lucia Navarro, Ruth Nunez, Lourdes Perez, Ana Ruiz and Leticia Trujillo.

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Public encouraged to attend Office of Health Equity Advisory Committee meeting

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The California Department of Public Health – Office of Health Equity (OHE) Advisory Committee was created to advance the goals of OHE and is comprised of 26 representatives from state agencies and departments, local health departments, community-based organizations, communities facing inequities and stakeholder communities.

The next OHE Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sierra Health Foundation, 1331 Garden Highway in Sacramento. The public is strongly encouraged to participate in this meeting. If you intend to do so and/or would like to receive updates, e-mail OHE with “Advisory Committee” in the subject line. The final agenda will be posted on the OHE web site at least 10 days prior to the meeting.

Learn more about the OHE Advisory Committee on the OHE web site.

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#PeoplePursuing

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Throughout 2017, we are highlighting the work of our partners through a campaign called #PeoplePursuing. We invite you to visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for new inspiring posts!

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