A new year brings new hope
By Chet P. Hewitt
In my January 2021 message, I praised the millions of Californians whose contributions were making it possible for our state and nation to navigate the global health crisis. I, like countless commentators, researchers and politicians, took special care to shout out a subset of those we now routinely refer to as essential workers – low-wage workers who continue to make extraordinary contributions in our battle against the COVID-19 virus while facing significant personal risks. In California, they are largely workers of color from communities of color, who pick and process our food, manufacture and deliver needed goods and services, and stock shelves in supermarkets and drug stores across our great state.
Our expressions of gratitude for their efforts are well founded, as is our newfound willingness to admit their work has always been essential to our collective health and well-being. However, these workers, their families and the communities they live in deserve much more than our collective thanks. As this year begins, policy at the federal and state level is pivoting toward recovery and we find ourselves positioned to make good on promises to address the racial, social, environmental and economic inequities that exacerbated their vulnerability to COVID-19-related illness and death.
Two important examples are the recently enacted federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the state-funded Community Economic Resilience Fund, both of which are focused on rebuilding and updating our economy. While the federal bill lacks specific requirements for advancing racial equity and inclusion, California has the ability to advance these goals through the flexibility granted to states from the federal government. The Community Economic Resilience Fund, on the other hand, clearly lists the advancement of a "sustainable and equitable recovery from the economic distress caused by COVID-19" and "improving equity outcomes by race, ethnicity, gender and geography" as primary outcomes.
As determinants of health-focused institutions, we at Sierra Health Foundation and The Center are made hopeful by what we are witnessing. Accordingly, we plan to advocate alongside our partners to ensure the billions of dollars that flow from these efforts are about more than bridges and roads. We will collaborate with communities in our region and across our state to ensure recovery discussions include their ideas and aspirations for healthier regional economies and communities. This could include replacing dilapidated schools, reducing air pollution, ramping up the construction of affordable housing, ensuring everyone has access to clean water, and investing in the technological and human capital our public health infrastructure requires to better serve us all. Doing so will create economic opportunities and improve living conditions and health outcomes now and for generations to come in communities many essential workers call home.
At Sierra Health Foundation and The Center, we believe that once-in-a-generation federal spending and record-setting state budget surpluses make these goals attainable. As we work through the Omicron-driven COVID-19 spike, lets organize, build community power and plan a recovery that honors the contributions of low-wage essential workers. No performative talk, excuses or backtracking. Let's start this year with a non-negotiable commitment to building the inclusive, equitable and healthy California for all right now.
Funding opportunity: COVID-19 Mitigation Project
The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and the State of California's Department of Health Care Services are pleased to announce the COVID-19 Mitigation Project funding opportunity. With grants up to $100,000 over three years, mental health and substance abuse disorder providers will expand services to provide education on COVID-19 testing, implement on-site COVID-19 testing, collaborate with community partners to prevent infectious disease transmission, expand COVID-19 response services to those connected to the behavioral health system, and support the maintenance of healthy environments.
For additional information and application instructions, please review the Request for Applications. Applications are due on Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.
Investing in California's San Joaquin Valley Communities is focus of new book chapter
California's San Joaquin Valley is one of the most culturally diverse and economically important parts of the state. However, disparities in living conditions and other social determinants of health have contributed to the region's high rates of disease and health issues. A new book from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis looks at these challenges in the San Joaquin Valley and other rural areas of the United States — as well as the promise of their future.
Investing in Rural Prosperity, published in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Board, seeks to help rural communities achieve shared economic prosperity by outlining a new framework for how to approach rural development successfully, showcasing stories of progress in different communities, and highlighting recommendations for action by policymakers, practitioners, funders and researchers. The book includes contributions from 79 authors in the United States and abroad, representing financial institutions, nonprofits, philanthropies, academia and government agencies.
Four Sierra Health Foundation senior staff members and a partner at Avivar Capital authored Chapter 26 — Investing in California's San Joaquin Valley Communities — which spotlights The Center at Sierra Health Foundation's San Joaquin Valley Health Fund, a community-driven funder collaborative launched in 2014 in recognition of historical inequities, as well as public and philanthropic underinvestment, across the region.
The book is available free of charge electronically or in hard copy on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis website.
Each month we share media highlights about our work and our dedicated community partners.
Anti-vax Sentiment, Hardships, Mistrust Fuel Butte County's Low Vaccination Rates
Siliconeer reported on a recent COVID-19 Public Awareness Campaign ethnic media brief, which provided community reporters and outlets with important information about vaccination efforts in Butte County. Local elected and Department of Public Health officials, faith leaders and educators shared updated case statistics and the challenges and opportunities in raising vaccination rates.
Newsom issues 2021 California Social Innovation Impact Report
The Los Angeles Blade covered the release of Governor Gavin Newsom's 2021 Social Innovation Impact Report on the state's most pressing challenges. The State of California's partnership with The Center at Sierra Health Foundation on the Vaccine Equity Campaign to support COVID-19 community outreach is one highlight of the report.
City Council approves first contracts to improve safety in downtown and Old Sacramento
The Sacramento Bee published this article on the Sacramento City Council's unanimous decision to award federal COVID-19 relief funds to programs supporting community safety, including $1.3 million for The Center at Sierra Health Foundation's Youth and Community PopUps, led by 24 community organizations and local youth.
SYV People Helping People awarded $223K for rollout of youth substance prevention program
The Lompoc Record shared the announcement of funding for Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People through The Center at Sierra Health Foundation's Elevate Youth California, a statewide program supporting community-led youth development and activism for youth of color, including LGBTQ2S+ youth, ages 12 to 26 to prevent youth substance use disorder.
Meet our new staff members
We have welcomed the following new staff members in the past few months. We are pleased to introduce them to you! Please visit our staff webpage to access names and titles for our full staff.
Shelley Dyer — Senior Program Officer for Black Child Legacy Campaign
Erin Hassett — Evaluation Assistant
Beatrix Koev, MBA — Chief Financial Officer
Amy Lawrence — Senior Program Associate for the California COVID-19 Outreach Project
Shyra Murrey — Senior Program Associate for Elevate Youth California
Marsha Parham — Executive Assistant
Gianna Partee — Program Assistant for Healthy Youth Development
Maurice Samuels, PhD — Managing Director of Evaluation and Learning
Scott Sent, CPA — Controller
Thao Xiong — Program Associate for the California COVID-19 Outreach Project
Our staff continues to expand! Please see below for seven open job positions and a link to apply on our website.
Join our team — work to advance health and justice
Sierra Health Foundation and The Center are accepting applications for seven positions:
Managing Director for Regional Programs (Fresno office)
Managing Director for Health Equity and Access (Sacramento office)
Senior Program Officer for the Behavioral Health Recovery Services Project (Fresno office)
Program Officer for California Funders for Boys and Men of Color (Sacramento office)
Program Associate for the Behavioral Health Recovery Services Project (Fresno office)
Program Assistant for the Medication Assisted Treatment Access Points Project (Sacramento office)
Program Assistant for the Elevate Youth California program (Sacramento office)
Visit our Employment Opportunities page to learn about the positions and apply online.
Vaccine Equity Campaign partners share community successes
Our Vaccine Equity Campaign funded partners throughout California continue to lead outreach activities that help vulnerable communities get vaccinated — in collaboration with community organizers, community health workers, promotoras and clinicians. Following are success stories from a few of our dedicated partners.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant has interacted with 1,023 community members through community canvassing and tabling at churches and flea markets, text and phone banking, health fairs and Zoom workshops. At vaccination clinics conducted in partnership with La Clinica de La Raza, 301 people were vaccinated.
Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN) has reached 993 individuals to disseminate information related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination in hard-to-reach neighborhoods in Santa Clara, San Mateo and Fresno counties through community canvassing and tabling, door-to door outreach and hosting a vaccination clinic, where 20 community members were vaccinated.
Stanislaus Asian American Community Resource has connected with more than 2,000 individuals through door-to-door canvassing, community canvassing and tabling at local businesses, temples, churches and community centers, one-on-one direct messaging, phone banking and hosting vaccination clinics. At their vaccination clinics, a Hmong doctor talked about the importance of vaccinations and a Laotian family shared their personal tragedy of COVID-19 deaths and how vaccination could have prevented them.
The Vaccine Equity Campaign is funded by the Almond Board of California, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The California Endowment, Facebook, IKEA US Community Foundation, Kaiser Foundation, Netflix, NextGen America and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Photo: East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Health Fair with community partners on Sept. 3.
MBK Sacramento offers leadership and skill-building opportunities for young men of color
Since 2018, the My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Sacramento Collaborative has been committed to improving the educational, health, social and economic outcomes for local boys and men of color. Two upcoming programs will provide opportunities to build brotherhoood as well as leadership and creative skills.
Through the MBK Sacramento Youth Fellowship Remix, 15 young men of color will lead community change, build brotherhood and take their leadership skills to the next level. The cohort will begin in February and conclude in May. The Youth Fellowship Remix is led by partner agencies 4 Your Epiphany and Urban Strategies, Inc. Applications are due Jan. 28. Apply using the MBK Sacramento Youth Fellowship Remix application.
The MBK Sacramento All Access Creator Academy was created using youth voice from previous Youth Fellowship cohorts with the goal to develop anti-violence videos along with the MBK Sac All Access podcast to increase awareness and access to MBK Sacramento health, education, workforce and public safety resources. Five Creator Academy participants will learn about social media and content creation, build a brotherhood and expand their personal leadership skills with other content creators. The academy is presented in partnership with 4 Your Epiphany – Top Floor Creatives. Applications are due Jan. 28. Apply using the MBK Sacramento Content Academy application.
We will share updates in Partnerships and on the MBK Sacramento webpage.
What We're Following
The California Blueprint
Governor Newsom's 2022-23 budget — the California Blueprint — proposes spending of $286.4 billion in total state funds, consisting of approximately $213.1 billion from the General Fund, $65.3 billion from special funds and $8 billion from bond funds. The California Blueprint is a plan to bolster strong economic growth and make historic investments in the state's future, supporting the state's response to COVID-19 and efforts to address climate change, tackle persistent inequality and homelessness, and keep our streets safe.
Community Economic Resilience Fund
The Community Economic Resilience Fund is a program being developed by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research and state partners to support California's regional economies with an equitable and sustainable recovery from the economic distress of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund would support communities and regional groups in producing regional roadmaps for economic recovery and transition that prioritize the creation of accessible, high-quality jobs in sustainable industries. Learn more on the Governor's Office of Planning and Research website.
COVID-19 vaccination and testing
Mobile vaccinations
The online California COVID-19 Response Toolkit offers a step-by-step process to request pop-up vaccination clinics. Pop-up or mobile clinics are designed for organizations that have 100+ individuals who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine and are willing to be vaccinated, and when on-site vaccination events will help improve vaccine accessibility for individuals in the community. Learn more on the Mobile Vaccinations webpage.
Free at-home COVID-19 tests from USPS.com
Residential households in the United States now can order one set of four free at-home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests from the U.S. Postal Service. Orders ship free. Order at-home tests on the USPS website.
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Sacramento Office
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San Joaquin Valley Office
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