Caring Together Santa Barbara County (CTSBC) today announced that it is one of 37 communities selected by the California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) to advance an innovative approach to building community health and equity. CTSBC will receive $500,000 in funding over a 30-month period to implement an Accountable Community for Health (ACH), a sustainable platform for aligning local health and social services while centering community voice and equity.
“Caring Together Santa Barbara County brings together 41 partner organizations to address the urgent needs of caregivers. We’re proud to have been chosen to implement this innovative approach to improving the health and well-being of our community,” said Lisa Brabo, CEO of Family Service Agency. “This funding will help us meet our goal of adopting and incorporating diversity, inclusion, and equity/anti-racism (DEI/AR) principles throughout all partnership activities.”
ACHs are designed to break down existing silos by bringing together many sectors and players within a community to align and transform local systems, all while centering residents’ voices in decision-making. Using multi-sector and community-based partnerships built on a solid foundation of trust, ACHs empower communities to address persistent and emerging health challenges—and social inequities—in holistic and innovative ways.
Family Service Agency, Cottage Health Coast Caregiver Resource Center, Alliloop, Children & Family Resource Services, Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization, and the Family Caregiver Support Program at Dignity Health-Marian Regional Medical Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate broad-based community engagement. The collaborative partnership will work with the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services and the California Department of Aging to establish coordinated county-wide data gathering, assessment and reporting systems; hold a Caregiver Health Equity Forum; and demonstrate community-centered approaches that center Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion/Anti-Racism (DEI/AR) in supporting caregivers.
“To ensure health for all, we must change how we approach health transformation, starting by making sure everyone is at the table,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state public health officer. “This major investment in lifting up community voice and centering equity is critical to achieving California’s goal of improved health outcomes, especially for lower-income communities and communities of color.”
“ACHs go well beyond other health coalitions by doing essential work facilitating transformational change, providing much-needed structure, alignment and accountability. Most importantly, they advance the voice of the community in all of their work,” said Dr. Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of The California Endowment, an initial and ongoing funder of the ACH initiative.
Caring Together Santa Barbara County is a collaboration of organizations focused on helping caregivers understand they are not alone in their caregiving efforts and there is a network or organizations to support them. Its overarching aim is to honor the caregiving role; develop integrated, inclusive, easily accessible health and social service systems that support caregivers and their loved ones in culturally aware, respectful, and appropriate ways; promote policies that support caregivers; and promote aging with dignity. Visit CaringTogetherSBC.org for list of participating organizations, articles, and links to resources.
California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative is a public-private collaboration with support from the California Department of Public Health, The California Endowment, Blue Shield of California Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation. Past support has been provided by Kaiser Permanente, Sierra Health Foundation, Social Impact Exchange, and Well Being Trust. CACHI receives administrative support from Community Partners, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit intermediary organization. To learn more about Accountable Communities for Health and CACHI, visit www.cachi.org.
