New CA initiative aims to strengthen social safety nets

In a time of tight budgets, a new project aims to strengthen California’s resilience by fostering cross-sector collaboration among safety net providers and public, private and community partners.

Researchers with the California Health Interconnectivity Initiative are analyzing best practices to work on some of the state’s most entrenched issues.

Caitlin Flammer, who runs the project for the California Coverage and Health Initiative, said the social drivers of health include income, access to healthcare, education, healthy food, a clean environment, affordable housing and public transportation.

"There's all kinds of innovative ways that these safety net providers see a need in the community and address it," Flammer pointed out. "We're trying to pull out those insights and share that."

The two-year initiative started in January and is funded in part by the California Wellness Foundation. Once the research is complete, the initiative will convene stakeholders in seven regions of the state to compare what has worked and what has not, so every community has the resources and relationships needed to thrive.

Leaders of many local agencies and nonprofits are contributing to the project.

MaryEllen Rehse, executive director of Children and Family Resource Services for Santa Barbara County, also known as Health Linkages, part of the Santa Barbara County Education Office, said safety net organizations in the Santa Barbara area have a long history of tackling the big issues together.

"There was a very strong collaborative that came together, both public and private," Rehse explained. "At one point, Santa Barbara County had the second-highest rate of uninsured children in the state, and then we went from that to kind of having everybody covered."

Health Linkages’ promotoras help connect the community’s large undocumented population with social service programs. The agency also offers dental screening and preventive services, supports mental health services in schools and helps people enroll in Medi-Cal.

By Suzanne Potter