Healthcare Foundation Receives a Major Grant from Providence for Healdsburg Community Wellness Center Project

Healdsburg, CA, February 1, 2024 – The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County today announced a grant of $285,000 from Providence to support a community convening and visioning process for residents of Healdsburg to explore the potential for a multicultural Community Wellness Center. The project extends to Healdsburg a similar process instigated over a year ago in Cloverdale and Windsor with funding from North Sonoma County Healthcare District and Providence.

The Healthcare Foundation with community partners launched the neighborhood convenings in December 2022, reaching out in particular to historically marginalized and underserved communities including north county’s Latine residents, to envision what future community wellness centers (CWCs) would look like for residents of the three northern Sonoma County towns.

Leading local community-based organizations collaborating on the Cloverdale project include La Familia Sana, Nuestra Comunidad, and Alexander Valley Healthcare; while in Windsor they are joined by Alliance Medical Center; and in Healdsburg by Corazón Healdsburg. In all three locations the project, which local participants have named “Nuestra Comunidad Sana,” is being facilitated by On the Margins.

The grant from Providence will go to community outreach, facilitation of community meetings, and a report to be used as a vision and roadmap toward a community wellness center that serves the express needs and desires of Healdsburg residents. Moreover, the project advances the recommendation of the City of Healdsburg’s own recent DEI report, which pointed to the need for a multicultural community center for residents.

“This project has been inspired by the evidence of the wide-ranging positive health impacts of community wellness centers,” explained Healthcare Foundation Executive Director Kim Bender. “Our approach is the opposite of ‘build it and they will come.’ By facilitating the formulation of a community-driven and community-centered vision for such a center in Healdsburg, we hope to generate the momentum among residents and other stakeholders for the eventual establishment of a community wellness center that locals embrace and derive real use from.”

“Providence is pleased to be able to support an effort that harnesses the energies and imaginations of community members themselves in addressing their collective health and wellbeing,” said Amy Ramirez, senior manager of Providence Sonoma County Community Health Investment. “Our Community Health Investment Programs focus on improving the quality of life in the communities we serve, with special emphasis on the needs of the poor and underserved. We utilize the strengths and diversity of our neighbors to build vibrant communities by partnering with like-minded community stakeholders to serve the common good.”

“Corazón Healdsburg works to empower families and bridge the gaps that hinder their progress,” said Marcy Flores, Corazón Healdsburg’s Executive Director. “We see the community wellness center convenings as a great opportunity to advance health equity while strengthening and celebrating our diverse Healdsburg community.” “A thriving and healthy community needs community space in which to recreate and celebrate together, as well as gather and share information, knowledge and skills, find access to resources, and enjoy intergenerational exchange and support,” said Alliance Medical Center’s CEO Sue Labbe. “We are excited to be participating in the expansion of this important initiative to the Healdsburg community.”

Fore more information on the Community Wellness Center convenings, visit: https://healthcarefoundation.net/community-wellness-center-convenings/

About Healdsburg Hospital, Providence
Healdsburg Hospital is a 43-bed critical access hospital located in Sonoma County and is a secular (non-religious) member of Providence healthcare network. Healdsburg Hospital ensures patients have access to vital medical services, including their 24/7 emergency department, primary care and specialty clinics. The hospital works collaboratively with other hospitals within Providence, as well as numerous outpatient facilities, affiliated physicians, home and community care, and Providence Medical Group providers. Our comprehensive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services provide the expert care patients need — close to home. Learn more at healdsburghospital.org

About Alliance Medical Center

Alliance Medical Center offers medical, dental, behavioral health, and wellness services to the underserved communities of Healdsburg, Windsor and the surrounding Northern Sonoma County region. As a nonprofit “one-stop” community-wide provider and a particular safety net for low-income families and individuals in Healdsburg and Windsor, Alliance plays a crucial role in equitable access to healthcare in the region. Learn more at alliancemed.org

About Corazón Healdsburg

Corazón Healdsburg is a multiservice nonprofit and trusted resource for Hispanic/Latino residents of northern Sonoma County. Our mission is to build a compassionate and just community by empowering and dignifying individuals and families, advocating against injustices, and uniting people to celebrate diversity. Every year, we connect over 1,200 low-income families with the resources they need to overcome cycles of poverty and gain financial security and success. Our clients are 100% low-income, 95% are Latin American and approximately 75% are monolingual Spanish speakers. Corazón Healdsburg’s integrated programming supports our region’s Latino communities with a range of bilingual resources and services, including a Family Resource Center, “cradle-to-career” educational programming, and our Promotoras (community health workers) program. Learn more at corazonhealdsburg.org

About On the Margins

Our mission is to collaborate with others to design and implement anti-racist, joy-focused, equitable, sustainable, and affirming practices, initiatives, and policies. We strive to do our work with love, commitment, political action, and freedom dreaming. We envision a world without prisons and borders; that centers racial, gender, economic and ecological justice; that is pro Black Indigenous Womxn of Color and Trans communities; that cherishes pleasure, creative pedagogy, and imaginative exploration; and that centers community accountability. Engaged in solidarity with communities on the margins of society, we address social disparities with love, commitment, and respect. For more information, visit onthemargins.us

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 $24 million to build a healthier region for all who live, work and play in northern Sonoma County. For more information, visit healthcarefoundation.net

Media Contacts

Mary Ott, Development Director, Healthcare Foundation, mott@healthcarefoundation.net, (717) 542-4625
Christian Hill, Manager, Communications, Providence, christian.hill@providence.org, (707) 499-2928