A Foundation of Learning

Dear Friends,

The Healthcare Foundation’s strategic focus on health education and professional development builds on the incredible talent and potential we have right here in north county among our students, and our aspiring, early and mid-career healthcare professionals. 

We do this, among other ways, through our granting to excellent programs like Santa Rosa Junior College’s HOPE scholarship and our own Mental Health Talent Pipeline (MHTP) scholarship program. 

We are pleased to be able to share with you this month the reflections of a HOPE scholarship recipient, Rogelio Lopez, on the importance of such support for a first-generation aspiring bilingual health professional—and new father! 

And we are equally gratified to bring you a profile of one of our latest MHTP scholarship recipients, Stephanie Sosa, whose own story is a beautiful lesson in the importance of mentorship as well as belief in ourselves to achieve our life’s ambitions.

We also share a conversation with our colleague Cynthia Calmenson, executive director of Integrative Medical Clinic Foundation (IMCF), an important community partner who we are supporting to develop a culturally responsive Spanish-language version of their outstanding Imagine You resilience curriculum for frontline health and emergency service workers. 

We believe supporting our local students and workforce is among the most meaningful and impactful ways we can increase access to and reduce inequities in our primary and mental health services, while strengthening the community of professionals who are devoted to living and serving in our region.

Learning, of course, is a two-way street. Ask any wise teacher or elder if there is a point where their own learning became less important. As an organization committed to continual learning, and devoted to eliminating health disparities in our region, we at the Healthcare Foundation look to our community for the education we need to make that shared vision a reality. That’s why we reach out to you, and that’s why we always want to hear from you. We hope you will visit our new website to explore the grantees and programs we fund with your support, and the impact we are making together, and share your feedback!

Last but not least, let me be among the first to wish you Feliz día de los Muertos! This beautiful holiday tradition, which originated in Mexico and whose roots blend Indigenous and European cultural practices for honoring the loved ones we’ve lost, is something north county embraces with real joy. 

Below we share information on three upcoming family-friendly Day of the Dead celebrations, and we look forward to seeing you at one or more! In our compassionate offerings to and remembrances of those who have gone before us, Día de los Muertos is both a communion with those we love and an opportunity for friends, family and our wider community to share a moment of awareness of our precious life together. Talk about learning from one another!

Wishing you a lifetime of such learning,

Kim Bender
Executive Director

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Grantee Spotlight: Cynthia Calmenson on IMCF
and its Imagine You Program

In March of this year, the Healthcare Foundation directed a grant of $50,000 to Santa Rosa–based Integrative Medical Clinic Foundation (IMCF) to build out a culturally responsive Spanish-language version of the organization’s Imagine You resilience skills curriculum for mental health service workers. 

IMCF’s mission is to advance wellbeing and resilience in the face of adversity in support of its partners in the California social services, healthcare, and disaster response sectors. Especially in the wake of the pandemic and the recent fires, burnout and compassion fatigue are serious factors undermining the health, effectiveness, and perseverance of local staff and volunteers serving on the front lines of community health and emergency services and disaster relief. 

IMCF’s Imagine You program, developed by Ellen Barnett, MD, PhD, fosters wellbeing in staff and clients alike based on evidence-informed mental and behavioral health research. The program has been a highly valued training for promotoras de salud / community health workers, case managers, disaster service workers, patient navigators, crisis support counselors, and others.

As IMCF Executive Director Cynthia Calmenson describes below, a Spanish version of the Imagine You program had been a recognized need for some time before the Healthcare Foundation grant—which advances the Healthcare Foundation’s strategic focus on Community Resilience, Engagement and Support—made its development feasible.

Read More

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Supporting HOPE

The Healthcare Foundation recently secured a generous $15,000 grant from Medtronic Foundation to support the HOPE scholarship program at Santa Rosa Junior College. We contributed an additional $5,000, for a total of $20,000 in funding support, which will provide forty $500 scholarships to SRJC students in 2023.

The Health Occupation Preparation Education (HOPE) program is designed for low-income, first-generation students with visible or invisible disabilities pursuing degrees in the medical field. HOPE is built on intervention strategies, support networks, and proven evidence-based models for student success to ensure participants persist and complete their certificate or degree, or transfer to a four-year institution.

HOPE contributes directly to student retention and success by providing career and academic counseling, assistance with applying for scholarships and financial aid, a study center featuring staff support, workshops, career resources, field trips to colleges, and even mentors within the medical community.

Rogelio Lopez, a new father and the son of parents who immigrated from Mexico, is the first in his family to go to college. He is currently a second-year Health Sciences student in the HOPE program.

Read More

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Mental Health Talent Pipeline Spotlight:
Meet Stephanie Sosa

Stephanie Sosa came with her family to the United States from Mexico at the age of five and grew up in Petaluma. Her passionate interest in psychology and mental health advocacy began as an undergraduate at Sonoma State.

“Growing up, I was not aware of the issue of mental health,” she admits. “I didn’t know it was a thing until I got to college.”

Read More

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Dia de los Muertos Events

Windsor – Saturday, October 29th, 4:00–9:00 PM – Windsor Town Green
Más Información Aquí / More Information Here

Desde su fundación en 2011, las celebraciones y actividades del Día de los Muertos de Windsor han sido creadas por un grupo de voluntarios locales enfocados en compartir la cultura y las tradiciones latinas auténticas con la comunidad a través de eventos gratuitos para toda la familia.

Since its founding in 2011, Windsor’s Dia de los Muertos celebrations and activities have been created by a group of local volunteers focused on sharing authentic Latinx culture and traditions with the community through free, family-friendly events.

Healdsburg – Sunday, October 30th, 12:00–6:00 PM – Healdsburg Plaza
Más Información Aquí / More Information Here

Corazón Healdsburg y la ciudad de Healdsburg te invitan a celebrar el Día de Muertos, el tradicional Día Mexicano de los Muertos, en la Plaza Healdsburg el domingo 3 de octubre. Este evento sin alcohol incluye música en vivo, bailarines aztecas, danza folclórica, altares tradicionales, actividades infantiles y mucho más. ¡Todos son bienvenidos!

Corazón Healdsburg and the City of Healdsburg invite you to celebrate Dia de Muertos, the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead, at the Healdsburg Plaza on Sunday, October 3oth. This alcohol-free event includes live music, Aztec dancers, folkloric dance, traditional altars, children’s activities and much more. All are welcome!

Cloverdale – Saturday, November 5th, 2:00–5:30 PM – Downtown Plaza
Más Información Aquí / More Information Here

¡La Familia Sana se complace en anunciar nuestro segundo evento Anual del Día de Los Muertos! Este evento será el 5 de Noviembre de 2:00 a 5:30 PM en la Plaza del Centro de Cloverdale. Sí disfrutó del evento del año pasado, ¡este es aún más grande! Tendremos vendedores de arte y comida y también Organizaciones Comunitarias. Disfrute un poco de música, Pan Dulce y Champurrado GRATIS. ¡Traiga a los niños para que se pinten la cara GRATIS y mucho más! ¡No se pierda este fantástico evento gratuito! Además, se anunciarán los ganadores del Concurso de OFRENDAS.

La Familia Sana is excited to announce our 2nd Annual Día de Los Muertos Event! If you enjoyed last year’s event, this one is even bigger! We will have art and food vendors as well as Community-Based Organizations. Enjoy some music, FREE Pan Dulce & Champurrado. Bring the kiddos to get some FREE Face painting and much more! Don’t miss out on this fantastic free event! In addition, the winners of the OFRENDAS Contest will be announced.

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November 3, 2022 | 8:30-10:00 AM

Dry Creek Kitchen
317 Healdsburg Ave
Healdsburg, CA 95448

Limited Tickets Available – Purchase Here

Join us for a celebratory breakfast event to honor this year’s Wetzel Community Leadership Award recipient Herman J. Hernandez and Spirit of Wetzel Award recipient Bernice Espinoza. 

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Community Health Builder

Community Health Supporters

Costeaux French Bakery
Exchange Bank, Healdsburg
Healdsburg Running Company
Jim Silveira, Silveira Buick GMC, Healdsburg