Healthy Beginnings | Comienzos Saludables

Hello!

It’s a pleasure to introduce this month’s newsletter by first of all introducing myself, the latest member of the Healthcare Foundation team.

Growing up in Puerto Rico until I was seven, I also spent my summers there with family while growing up in the Washington, D.C., area. I learned early, in two languages and two cultures, that community isn’t just where you live. It’s how you show up for one another. That value has followed me everywhere, all the way to calling Healdsburg home since 2019.

Most of my career has been rooted in health-focused nonprofits, so when I stepped away from that work for a few years, something always felt unfinished. Then, in 2023, my daughter Sofia was born six weeks early with a rare condition that, at two-days-old, required her to undergo life-saving surgery. 

We spent six weeks at UCSF Children’s Hospital in Oakland, far from home, navigating a healthcare system that is extraordinary in so many ways, and deeply inequitable in others. I watched families struggle to get to the hospital to see their own children. I saw what it meant to lack work leave, translation support, mental health resources, and transportation. I lived firsthand what it means when healthcare extends far beyond the doctor’s office.

That experience changed me. It confirmed exactly what kind of work I wanted to return to and why.

When I connected with Amy and learned about the Healthcare Foundation’s commitment to reducing those very inequities, the ones I witnessed and lived, I knew this was where I was meant to be.

Now that you know a little about me, please read on to learn about the perinatal support services highlighted in this month’s newsletter, made possible through Measure I funding via the Healthcare Foundation. This initiative speaks to me deeply and reinforces why I believe so strongly in the work and mission of this organization. I hope you, as someone who shares this commitment, will feel the same.

Healdsburg is my home. It’s where I’m raising my family, and where I want Sofia to grow up: in a community that takes care of its people. I am so happy to be here, working alongside all of you toward a healthier, more equitable northern Sonoma County.

Con mucho gusto,

Vanessa Miranda-Stewart
Community & Donor Engagement Specialist

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New Perinatal Support Programs Come Online

An update on Measure I funding in action at North County’s Alliance Medical Center and YWCA Sonoma County in Healdsburg

When Sonoma County voters approved Measure I (the Sonoma County Child Care & Children’s Health Initiative) in 2024, Sonoma County made a landmark commitment to strengthening the health and wellbeing of young children and families. Today, through an early round of funding administered by First 5 Sonoma County, a portion of which was recently granted to the Healthcare Foundation, that commitment is taking shape in north county in the form of two perinatal support programs for parents at Alliance Medical Center and YWCA Sonoma County in Healdsburg respectively. In all, the Healthcare Foundation’s Measure I award is enabling $500,000 in new investments to expand access to perinatal and early childhood mental health services, particularly for underserved and Spanish-speaking families.

This funding arrives at a critical moment. Research and community listening led by First 5 has shown that many local parents face persistent barriers to culturally responsive mental health support during pregnancy and early childhood. As First 5 Sonoma County Executive Director Angie Dillon-Shore told us last October, “The degree to which cultural bias, generational poverty, pervasive stigma, lack of awareness, inadequate funding, and siloed systems and services create barriers—especially for families of color, LGBTQ+ families and especially our immigrant community—cannot be overstated. We are greatly appreciative and proud to invest in the efforts of the Healthcare Foundation to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce that is trained to provide the culturally relevant mental health services and supports that young families of color in Sonoma County deserve.”

Through Measure I, the Healthcare Foundation is partnering with organizations to strengthen the region’s network of perinatal care and expand access to bilingual counseling and support for new and expectant parents as well as expectant parents with small children. Together with the Healthcare Foundation’s Mental Health Talent Pipeline, which supports the education and training of a new generation of bilingual and bicultural clinicians, these investments are helping build a stronger, more inclusive system of care for families with young children. 

These resources are already making a difference on the ground at Alliance Medical Center and the YWCA in Healdsburg, where expanded services are supporting parents, infants, and caregivers during one of life’s most critical stages.

Read the Full Article (4 min read)

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CELEBRATE | CONNECT | CONTRIBUTE

What a joy to celebrate with you at our second annual “Healthcare Is Love” Drag Brunch on February 22, 2026! Your energy and generosity helped turn a fabulous afternoon into a powerful show of care for our neighbors across northern Sonoma County. Please enjoy the event photos and if you were unable to attend, we look forward to hosting you next February for Healthcare is Love!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Pink Pony Club

Lauren Ratiani Ruark
and Jamin Ruark

Cher’s Lair

Mona Hanes and Kevin Gay
Donna and Eddie Merideth

Jenny Wilson

Culture Club

Adelante Partners
Ingrid Maltrud
On The Margins Family Therapy & Psychologist Services
Katie Rosson and Gibson Scheid
The SCAN Foundation
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church