Community Fundraising Effort Preserves Mental Health Position at Healdsburg High Wellness Center

Healdsburg, CA, September 1, 2026 – The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County is pleased to announce that a community fundraising effort has successfully secured the funding needed to preserve the Wellness Outreach & Intake Specialist position at the Healdsburg High School Wellness Center for the current school year.

The position was at risk after district budget constraints eliminated its previous funding. Recognizing the potentially significant impact on student access to mental health services, the Healthcare Foundation joined with Healdsburg Unified School District and local donors to raise the funds necessary to restore the position.

As recently reported in the Healdsburg Tribune, the Wellness Center has quickly become an essential resource for students at Healdsburg High School and Marce Becerra Academy, providing a welcoming, stigma-free environment where young people can seek mental health support, take a break when overwhelmed, and connect with trusted adults and appropriate services. During the 2025–2026 school year, approximately 20% of Healdsburg High students accessed the Center, participating in 315 counseling sessions and more than 1,000 drop-in “brain breaks,” in addition to crisis interventions.

The Wellness Outreach & Intake Specialist is central to making that access possible. By welcoming students, conducting intake, coordinating referrals and managing other front-line responsibilities, the position allows licensed clinicians to devote more of their time to providing direct therapeutic care. The Center itself was established in 2023 as an accessible on-campus space where students can receive wellness and mental health support in English or Spanish.

“This is an extraordinary example of what our community can accomplish when we recognize an urgent need and respond together,” said Amy Ramirez, Executive Director of Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County. “Because of the generosity of local donors, students who reach out for help will continue to find someone ready to welcome them, understand what they need, and connect them to care.”

“The Wellness Center has become an important part of how we support the health, wellbeing and success of our students, and the Outreach & Intake Specialist plays a critical role in making sure young people can access that support when they need it,” said Chris Vanden Heuvel, Superintendent of Healdsburg Unified School District. “We are deeply grateful to the Healthcare Foundation and the local donors who recognized this need and came together on behalf of Healdsburg’s young people.”

The successful campaign also provides time to pursue a more sustainable funding solution. During the coming year, the Healthcare Foundation will work with Healdsburg Unified School District to strengthen Medi-Cal reimbursement through CalAIM (California’s Medicaid managed care initiative), with the goal of generating ongoing revenue to support a substantial portion of the position’s future cost.

Preserving the Wellness Center position is part of the Healthcare Foundation’s growing commitment to strengthening school-based mental health systems, complementing its longstanding Mental Health Talent Pipeline and broader efforts to increase access to culturally responsive mental health care throughout northern Sonoma County. “Early intervention matters,” Ramirez added. “Making mental health support readily available where young people already spend their days can change the trajectory of a student’s life. We are deeply grateful to everyone who stepped forward to ensure this resource remains available.”

About the Healthcare Foundation

The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County connects people and resources to promote wellness in underserved communities. We do this by supporting nonprofits in the areas of access to healthcare and mental healthcare, with a vision of eliminating health inequities in our region. The organization’s values center on community, compassion, and equity. All our strategies support equitable access to culturally sensitive healthcare and mental health services and promote overall community wellness. Founded in 2001, the Healthcare Foundation has invested more than $26 million to build a healthier region for all who live, work and play in northern Sonoma County. For more information, visit healthcarefoundation.net.

Media Contact

Amy Ramirez, Executive Director, Healthcare Foundation, aramirez@healthcarefoundation.net, (707) 478-6767