May 2022 

Our president and CEO, Chet P. Hewitt, shared his personal commitment to inclusive economies in employment during the REDF and Federal Reserve Bank of New York April joint convening. Chet spoke about the need for intentional investment in equity and the potential of jobs to transform lives. Access his full remarks on YouTube.

For the last 16 years, Gil Alvarado, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, has led our strategic business planning and risk management. An important member of the Executive Management Team, he also led the design and oversight of our community investments. As the President of the San Joaquin Valley Impact Investment Fund, which focuses on making the San Joaquin Valley a healthier place to live, he called for greater capital investments into organizations and entrepreneurs whose activities promote community health and well-being for all.

In a heartfelt message to staff announcing his departure, Gil said he was “grateful to the board” for being able to “dream big and serve as a model for community, justice and equity.”

Our board and staff wish Gil the best on his new journey. We have benefited greatly from his vision and unwavering passion for helping others and for his role in ensuring Sierra Health Foundation and The Center live up to their mission and purpose.

TYM4Change receives $1M to help fight substance abuse
The Bakersfield Californian covered the good news of $1 million granted to Transitional Youth Mobilizing for Change (TYM4Change), ShePower Leadership Academy and MLKcommUNITY as new partners of The Center’s Elevate Youth California program. The organizations will work with youth aged 16 to 24 to produce a documentary about local health disparities and to reduce youth substance use.

Stopping hate crime in the API community
Kaying Hang, Sierra Health Foundation and The Center’s Senior Vice President of Programs and Partnerships, joined Assemblymember Evan Low on Sacramento’s Fox40 to share news about Stop the Hate. The program is a partnership between the California Department of Social Services and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. The Center at Sierra Health Foundation serves as the Northern California and San Joaquin Valley regional lead, overseeing more than $3.4 million in grants to community organizations addressing rising racially motivated hate crimes.

We welcomed new staff member Cynthia Moreno to our Communications team earlier this month. In this new communications officer role, Cynthia focuses on writing and editing, including message and content development for a broad range of communications materials.

An award-winning journalist and bilingual communications professional, she has served in the government, private and nonprofit sectors. Her experience includes developing and leading successful outreach and media campaigns in hard-to-reach multiethnic, multilingual, underserved and underrepresented communities throughout California.

Visit our staff page to access names and titles for our full staff.

Our team continues to grow! See below for job openings.

Sierra Health Foundation and The Center are accepting applications for six positions:

• Conference Manager (Sacramento)
• Managing Director for Health Equity and Access (Sacramento)
• Managing Director for Regional Programs (Fresno)
• Senior Program Officer (Fresno)
• Program Associate (Fresno)
• Program Associate (Sacramento)

Visit our Employment Opportunities page to learn about the positions and apply online.

Congratulations to 36 Elevate Youth California community partners joining the program’s Capacity Building Cohort 2! With grants up to $400,000, the awarded grassroots organizations will implement innovative projects for substance use disorder prevention for youth ages 12 to 26. The partners will focus on youth social justice, peer support and mentoring in low-income communities of color, including Tribal communities and LGBTQ communities. Cohort 2 funding totals almost $13.5 million, bringing the Elevate Youth California investment to more than $130.6 million for 185 community partners in 50 counties.

Learn more about the program and our partners on the Elevate Youth California site.

The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s annual Equity on the Mall event will be virtual again this year, with activities taking place June 1 and 2. Now in its seventh year, Equity on the Mall brings together San Joaquin Valley community leaders, residents and statewide partners to hold policymakers accountable to advancing health and equity for all.

The San Joaquin Valley is a region of great promise, but it experiences some of the state’s worst health outcomes. Many families lack access to safe drinking water, clean air, decent housing and quality education. Equity on the Mall is an opportunity for residents, community leaders, elected officials and public agency leaders to commit to collective work at the local, state and federal levels to bring funding and resources to this region that too often is overlooked and under-resourced.

Register to participate and get event updates on the Equity on the Mall page and on Facebook and Twitter.

Since 2014, the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund has worked with community partners and funders to promote community health, racial equity and racial justice for all in the San Joaquin Valley. Their collective work strengthens the capacity of organizations and vulnerable communities by supporting advocacy, community organizing, capacity building, leadership development, networking, and policy and systems change.

We’re pleased to announce the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s Advocacy and Learning grant awards to advance the Fund’s policy platform, which addresses immigration, health, housing, education, environmental justice, and land use and planning.

Advocacy grants up to $20,000 will support 21 community organizations in their advocacy for specific non-lobbying policy or systems change that will advance the IHHEEL Policy Platform.

Learning grants up to $10,000 will support eight community organizations in building their capacity for non-lobbying advocacy in a specified area aligned with the IHHEEL Policy Platform.

Learn about the funded projects on The Center site.

We’re proud to join community partners throughout California in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Together, we recognize the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans in our state and in the nation. Learn about the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, a partner in the Stop the Hate initiative.

The California Department of Health Care Services is developing the first Behavioral Health Prevention Plan for the state and invites community members, prevention stakeholders and prevention partners to share their perspectives on important behavioral health issues, specifically substance use and mental health challenges. The department will host a virtual listening session on June 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to collect feedback on the needs of diverse communities throughout California to implement inclusive and equitable prevention services. Register for the listening session on Zoom.