July 2020 

Sierra Health Foundation is standing with more than 30 fellow philanthropic organizations for a just and inclusive California. We need bold steps to ensure a future based on economic inclusion, racial equity and compassionate humanity.

These philanthropic leaders are joining labor, community organizing, faith-based, policy, research and academic leaders from across California to urge the prioritization of critical issues, including health, justice, education and housing, as the state makes critical budget decisions. Read the open letter.

Thank you to our partners and community members who have donated to our three regional response funds. Together, you have pledged $6,586,194! Distributions to 118 nonprofit partners total $5,689,419 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

We’re pleased to introduce Chris Cambises, who recently joined our team to serve as a Program Officer with the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund. Based in The Center at Sierra Health Foundation’s office in Fresno, Chris will be responsible for the implementation and management of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund, supporting community partners to build their capacity for policy and systems change, and advance policy priorities for health and racial equity and racial justice in the San Joaquin Valley.

Chris last served as a Program Officer for Field Offices, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Washington, D.C. He has more than 12 years of experience in the fields of immigration, refugee resettlement, public policy and humanitarian aid in a number of capacities, including developing and managing complex projects, coordinating operations in emergency environments, and addressing the needs of thousands of refugees, asylees, immigrants and other vulnerable populations on three continents. Chris brings a combination of practical, field-based knowledge derived from having led large, diverse, multicultural organizations with community-based programming. He also has extensive experience in cultivating robust partnerships with key stakeholders to advance systems changes and build capacity, as well as in program and grant management working with diverse, vulnerable populations.

Chris has a Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, and is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Sierra Health Foundation is recruiting a Project Controller for a one-year position. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration and CFO, the Project Controller will play a key role in accounting management and financial reporting for Roberts Family Development Center and support for the foundation’s accounting department. Visit our Employment Opportunities web page to learn more and apply. We will post more positions soon!

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 oversee outreach and education activities to help facilitate Medi-Cal enrollment and retention in the four counties. Project goals include enrolling eligible beneficiaries as a direct result of being educated by or receiving assistance from health navigators, as well as ensuring that individuals already enrolled in Medi-Cal continue to be enrolled for ongoing benefits. The Center also will develop a four-county coalition with the infrastructure and capacity to advance and document the project’s enrollment and retention goals.

We will post project updates on our Medi-Cal Health Navigator Project web page.

We invite funders and stakeholders to join the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund and the San Joaquin Valley Impact Investment Fund in upcoming webinar dialogues on how investment capital from impact investors is working to leverage efforts by regional philanthropic and government partners. These investments are providing a lifeline to small businesses, nonprofit organizations and families through PPP loans and other flexible financing, while laying the groundwork for inclusive regional economies in the years to come.

July 29: Profiles in collaboration with impact investors, regional community development financial institutions and community partners to ensure that small businesses and organizations can survive and thrive.

August 4: Profiles in advancing health by upgrading the region’s urban and rural housing and critical infrastructure including clean water access. Hear how housing organizations are partnering with clinics and other health-promoting organizations to advance health for all, and how inclusive approaches ensure that efforts meet community needs.

Register for one or both of the webinars.

For more information, please e-mail Alyssa Saldana at Avivar Capital.

See Her Bloom is a new statewide stigma reduction social media campaign that addresses the impact of opioid use disorder among Black women living in California. See Her Bloom will raise awareness for service providers, while reducing stigma about substance use so that Black women feel empowered to seek treatment. Black women’s stories will be shared on the campaign’s social media and web site, reaching impacted women across California, while centering the voices of Black women as it relates to the opioid crisis. This campaign is funded through the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access Points Project as part of the California Department of Health Care Services’ MAT Expansion Project. Learn more at #SeeHerBloom or explore SeeHerBloom.org to find stories and resources.

As part of a statewide effort to reduce barriers and improve opportunities for boys and men of color, philanthropic leaders from the California Funders for Boys and Men of Color recently announced an initial investment of $225,000 to nine organizations focused on educational equity for boys and men of color in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. Learn more.

The Black Child Legacy Campaign issued its second Crime & Safety report, which presents data on key indicators, including overall crime rates, firearm assaults, arrests, justice-involved youth and others. Using data provided by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the City of Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County Probation Department, the report compares changes in the indicators from fiscal year 2016-2017 to fiscal year 2018-2019.

Overall, the findings indicate progress from FY2016 to FY2018. Crimes involving guns and other crimes decreased, fewer youth were arrested and fewer youth were under the juvenile jurisdiction of Probation. At the same time, more work is needed to address disproportionality in rates of arrest and at the various decision points of the system, including filing of petitions, court orders and probation. In addition, changes in the combined crime rates for Black Child Legacy Campaign neighborhoods are not equally distributed across the individual neighborhoods. Targeted interventions are needed to ensure that all communities benefit.

All Californians now can complete the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail as paper forms are being mailed to households that have not yet responded. A Census ID is not required for households to respond online or by phone. We encourage partners to share this information with your networks, clients and constituents: Be counted and help secure critical resources for your community today!

State of California Week of Action 2.0 is July 27 to August 10

The messaging and focus for this week of action is to encourage households to respond to the Census, and that U.S. Census Bureau enumerators are coming soon. Download the California Complete Count Week of Action toolkit.

For those Californians who are sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and living with an abusive partner, “home” is not safe, and sheltering in place can make reporting domestic violence and getting help harder. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), data from hotlines and service providers suggest a troubling trend of rising violence in homes.

“Those experiencing domestic violence may not feel safe calling police. They may fear retaliation from their abusers, losing custody of their children, or police violence against their partners and themselves. Instead, victims often call shelters and resource centers for help.” — from PPIC’s Hidden Risk of Domestic Violence during COVID-19.