Our New Path Forward
This month we launched our new brand and look for Sierra Health Foundation and The Center.
Sierra Health Foundation and The Center are two distinct entities – working together, committed to strategically standing up, taking risks, forging new paths, building unique partnerships to create a healthier California.
Going forward, you will see a new Sierra Health Foundation and a new Center. We look forward to continuing on the road with you to create a more equitable California. Read more.
Watch our video to learn more about our new path forward.
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San Joaquin Valley Health Fund grants support policy and systems change
The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund strengthens the capacity of communities and organizations to improve health and well-being by advancing programs and policy changes that promote community health and health equity.
Grants up to $20,000 are available to support networks and organizations located and working in any of the nine counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare.
A webinar will be held on Nov. 2. Applications are due by Dec. 1. Learn more, get application materials and register for the webinar on the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund web page.
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San Joaquin Valley communities committed to transformation
Staff from The Center recently traveled to Kern County to meet with community organizations and to announce the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s expansion to the Valley’s southernmost county. More than 50 people participated at a proposers’ conference in Bakersfield to learn about the current funding opportunity.
The UFW Foundation guided a visit at La Paz in the town of Keene, where survivors of domestic violence shared their hope for their children to grow up in healthy homes, youth leaders spoke about the berry strike, and an undocumented mother talked about her experience registering people to vote.
Learn more about the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s work to promote community health and health equity.
Photo: César Chávez roses at La Paz.
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Speaker Series event focuses on equity in behavioral health care
For our last Speaker Series event of 2016, on Oct. 7 we welcomed Larke Nahme Huang, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Providing leadership on national policy for youth behavioral health care, Dr. Huang works with states and communities to eliminate systemic disparities and create equitable access for all families.
Dr. Huang joined in conversation with state, local and community leaders to discuss access inequity, mental health system barriers and opportunities, and new approaches that address the social, economic and environmental factors that influence health for youth and families.
Watch the video and see Dr. Huang's presentation slides on our Speaker Series web page.
Photo: Panelists (left to right): Dr. Larke Huang, Ben Hudson, Mariah Corder, Jahmal Miller
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Sacramento County Community Health Needs Assessment update shows persisting disparities
In 2013, we commissioned a Community Health Needs Assessment by Valley Vision on behalf of the Healthy Sacramento Coalition. At that time, the needs assessment found significant disparities in health outcomes in 15 Sacramento County zip codes with the highest rates of hospitalizations and emergency department use for chronic disease. Residents in those zip codes also were more likely to have lower high school graduation rates, higher unemployment, more linguistic isolation and other challenges relative to the county overall.
This update to the Community Health Needs Assessment will help us and our partners identify and prioritize health needs. The report, which presents the most recent analyses conducted by Valley Vision, finds that many of the disparities have persisted. The 15 zip codes continue to experience high rates of hospitalizations and emergency department use for a variety of health outcomes compared to the rest of the county. Even more disheartening, African American populations experience higher rates of chronic disease than the general population in these neighborhoods.
Learn more and see the report.
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California leaders address health system transformation at Sacramento convening
The California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) earlier this year announced that six local communities from across the state will receive up to $5.1 million in total funding to improve the health of Californians. Each Accountable Community for Health will work to advance common health goals and create a vision for a more expansive, connected, prevention-oriented health system.
On Oct. 25 and 26, leaders from throughout the state met at The California Endowment in Sacramento to discuss The Next Generation of Health System Transformation. Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet P. Hewitt joined other leaders for a panel discussion on the Accountable Communities for Health model and why it is needed in California, implications of CACHI for broader health system transformation, as well as potential challenges and opportunities to learn through the initiative. Other panelists were Diana Dooley, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, Robert K. Ross, President and CEO of The California Endowment, Peter Long, President and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation, and Loel Solomon, Vice President of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente.
CACHI was established by The California Endowment, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and Sierra Health Foundation to advance innovative health models focused on improving population health and reducing health disparities.
Photo (left to right): Peter Long, Robert K. Ross, Chet P. Hewitt, Loel Solomon, Diana Dooley
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Community assessments to guide California Executives’ Alliance work to expand opportunities for boys and men of color
The California Executives’ Alliance (CEA), comprised of leaders from 19 California foundations, is aligning efforts, resources and influence to improve the lives of boys and men of color (BMoC). As part of the CEA’s Place-Based Strategy, which aims to support the capacity and infrastructure needed for policy and systems change across the state, community assessments in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento will result in recommendations for action, including priority issue areas and strategies for collaboration.
The CEA partnered with PolicyLink to facilitate the three community assessment meetings and to develop recommendations for strengthening policy and systems change capacity in all three cities. On Oct. 25, Sacramento leaders met as part of this assessment. The recommendations will build on existing BMoC efforts, including last year’s My Brother’s Keeper plan development and the statewide California Alliance for BMoC.
Learn more about the California Executives’ Alliance on the CEA web site.
Photo: The Sacramento CEA Community Assessment meeting was held at Sierra Health Foundation on Oct. 25.
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Program Officer Kindra Montgomery-Block talks with Sac Cultural Hub about reducing African American child deaths
Sacramento news organization Sac Cultural Hub recently interviewed Sierra Health Foundation Program Officer Kindra Montgomery-Block about Sacramento County’s effort to reduce African American child deaths. In January 2015, Kindra began her position to support the Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths, a Sacramento County project managed by The Center.
Read the article on the Sac Cultural Hub web site.
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Program Associate position available
We are accepting applications for a Program Associate to provide support in the areas of program research, development, implementation, evaluation and administrative support for the Positive Youth Justice Initiative, the California Executives’ Alliance and the Leadership for Racial Equity program. See the job description on our Employment web page.
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Leadership Development for Racial Equity video now online
The Leadership Development for Racial Equity (LDRE) program works to build the capacity of youth-focused, community-based organizations throughout the state to advocate for policy and systems change to remove barriers and expand opportunities.
The program is managed by The Center and is co-funded by Sierra Health Foundation and The California Endowment.
Watch our LDRE video to learn more about the program.
Stay tuned for a funding opportunity announcement in 2017.
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