Sierra Health Foundation commits $3 million to strengthen Sacramento Region's primary care safety net

On Sept. 27, we held a Sacramento Region Health Care Partnership “Report to the Community” to release a market analysis of the region’s primary care safety net and a companion strategic plan. The reports, which include data and input from stakeholders in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties, offer a road map for the region to prepare for health care reform and create a stronger safety net for residents in the four counties.

The convening included an address by Congresswoman Doris Matsui and a panel discussion with health care leaders, and was attended by stakeholders from throughout the region, as well as local media representatives.

Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet Hewitt reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to strengthening the regional primary care safety net by pledging $3 million toward implementation of the strategic plan.

“We must take wise steps together as we create a stronger and wider safety net to effectively serve all our residents,” Hewitt said.

Download Preparing for Transformation: Rethinking, Revitalizing and Reforming the Sacramento Region’s Health Care System, A Market Analysis of the Sacramento Region Primary Care Safety Net.

Download Preparing for Transformation: Rethinking, Revitalizing and Reforming the Sacramento Region’s Health Care System, A Strategic Plan for the Sacramento Region.

To receive copies by mail, complete an online order form.

Learn more on the Sacramento Region Health Care Partnership web page.

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Respite Partnership Collaborative respite services awards to be announced in November

In August, we announced the availability of funding within Sacramento County to support the provision of mental health respite services to address unmet need. By the Sept. 18 due date, we received a broad range of proposals for services focused on the identified target populations and a variety of service models, from 24-hour crisis respite to planned respite. Members of the Respite Partnership Collaborative are reviewing the proposals now, and we plan to announce awards by mid-November. A total of $1,350,000 is available, with awards potentially ranging from $15,000 to $1 million.

The Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) is a public-private partnership of the County of Sacramento Division of Behavioral Health Services and Sierra Health Foundation: Center for Health Program Management. The RPC’s goal is to increase local respite service options to offer alternatives to hospitalization for community members experiencing mental health crisis in Sacramento County. The RPC is funded through the Sacramento County Mental Health Services Act, Innovation Component.

Learn more on the RPC web page.

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Healthy Sacramento Coalition completes first planning year

The Healthy Sacramento Coalition, which is funded through a Community Transformation Grant award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is finalizing its first year of planning. We received $499,229 in first-year funding last September to lead the newly formed coalition in creating and implementing a chronic disease prevention plan for Sacramento County.

With year-two funding, the coalition will use this next planning year to create an implementation plan for policy, environmental, programmatic and infrastructure changes aligned with strategic directions to achieve changes in weight, proper nutrition, physical activity, tobacco use prevalence, emotional well-being, overall mental health and other outcomes.

Work to date includes coalition and leadership team development, and completion of a Community Health Assessment. The coalition also has established workgroups focused on policy, communications and training.

The next Healthy Sacramento Coalition meeting is scheduled for Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon at Sierra Health Foundation. Learn more and register to attend the meeting on the Healthy Sacramento Coalition web page.

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Positive Youth Justice Initiative article appears in national publication

Grantmakers In Health published an article about our Positive Youth Justice Initiative in this month’s issue of its online GIH Bulletin. Written by Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet Hewitt and Senior Program Officer Matt Cervantes, the article, Rethinking Juvenile Justice: Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Crossover Youth, appears in the publication’s Views from the Field section. Grantmakers In Health is a national nonprofit educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people.

Download the online article.

Learn more on the Positive Youth Justice Initiative web page.

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Responsive Grants Program awards to be announced in October

Thank you to all of the organizations that submitted applications for this year’s second funding round of the Responsive Grants Program. We received 235 applications from nonprofits and public agencies throughout our 26-county funding region. The application review process is under way and we will announce grant awards in mid-October.

Grants up to $25,000 will be awarded to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to support projects and programs that improve health and quality of life for people living in our funding region.

See our Responsive Grants Program web page for more information about the program and grant lists from previous funding rounds.

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Nonprofit Innovation Center Tenant Spotlight: Community Health Charities of California

by David J. Pisani, President and CEO
Community Health Charities of California

For more than 40 years, Community Health Charities of California (CHCC) has been privileged to represent its member charities in workplace giving and employee engagement programs in the public sector, including the Combined Federal Campaign, the California State Employees Charitable Campaign and local municipal campaigns, as well as numerous private sector employee giving campaigns. By working directly with employer groups to enhance existing programs and to establish new programs where they do not currently exist, CHCC makes it possible for employees to support the organizations that are important to them and their families.

In 2011, these combined efforts enabled CHCC to raise more than $6 million statewide for its member charities. Since 2006, CHCC has raised more than $25 million, thus supporting vital research efforts and community-based programs, as well as public and professional education programs offered by its member health charities.

While CHCC provides that vital linkage between charitable organizations and the communities they serve, it is the stewardship role that CHCC considers fundamental to the success of its member charities and it is proud to be that steward.

In 2011, CHCC introduced two new promotional campaigns designed to enhance the ability to connect individuals in the workplace with the charities most important to them. Health Matters @ Work was designed to help companies elevate their commitment to health and wellness. CHCC makes it easier for employers to connect employees to health causes and resources that are important to them, even if they work from home or in multiple office locations. Health Matters @ Work combines the strength of the nation’s leading health charities and delivers them to the workplace. CHCC can provide the assistance needed to implement the program, which provides employees with credible health information and community resources. By implementing Health Matters @ Work, an employer can take its health and wellness program to an entirely new level by providing employees with additional information related to chronic diseases that may be impacting them and their families.

Through Health Matters @ Work, CHCC now makes volunteering with the nation’s most trusted charities easier than ever with Volunteer Matters 365, a search tool developed by Community Health Charities of America that delivers volunteer opportunities from its trusted members. Creating opportunities for employees to volunteer with the nation’s most trusted health charities is a great way to support a company’s overall employee engagement strategy and corporate social responsibility efforts. When a company partners with CHCC, its professional staff can work with you. As such, CHCC serves as the statewide single point of contact to coordinate volunteer opportunities with its diverse portfolio of member health charities.

Community Health Charities of California continues its work of building healthy communities through partnerships with employers and member charities, and to continue to serve as the steward of donor generosity.

Learn more on the Community Health Charities of California web site.

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