Healthcare is Unity | El Acceso al Cuidado de la Salud Fortalece la Unidad Comunitaria | June/July 2025

Dear Friends,

My name is Hanna Scramaglia, and I am the Healthcare Foundation’s Operations and Program Manager. 

In this month’s newsletter (a “double issue” for June and July), you will learn more about our Northern Sonoma County (CalAIM) Coalition, which we launched in January to support our local healthcare clinics and organizations in their journey to become more sustainable by receiving payment for services they already provide. 

What started with perhaps the more technical work of reviewing software platforms, filing paperwork, integrating processes, and mapping the services to the region, has quickly evolved into a support group for our local organizational leaders where we share ideas, cooperate on grant applications, and provide a space to discuss the challenges facing our community. And also the challenges facing our organizations—such as economic pressures (freezing of federal grants; funders pulling back due to economic and political uncertainty), or the need to meaningfully respond to social inequities, trauma due to immigration fears, and climate-related crises.

What can we do when we are overwhelmed by the need, and the resources are scarce? We act locally and work together.

When nonprofits and funders work together—not just side by side, but in real partnership—resources go further, duplication is reduced, and solutions become more sustainable. It’s not just about funding: it’s about co-creating visions, aligning goals, and supporting each other.

Our healthcare providers and nonprofits operate at capacity, continually trying to meet the need while doing more with less. This is not sustainable. As funders and supporters, we have to ask ourselves if we don’t support our system of care NOW, then when? 

Here is what is needed: 

• Unrestricted funding. Nonprofits and clinics can’t operate without space and staff.
• Simplified grant applications and reports. Trust in the organizations you support to get the work done. As someone who works on grant applications and reports daily, it takes an incredible amount of time and resources.
• Multi-year grants. This allows organizations to spend more resources doing the work, rather than fundraising.
• Giving monthly — that reliable income makes a huge difference and any amount helps, trust me!

This issue highlights our Coalition partners, and shows what’s possible when collaboration takes center stage. Together, we can do more—and better—for the communities we serve.

Sincerely,

Hanna Scramaglia
Operations and Program Manager

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The Northern Sonoma County Coalition

Strengthening our System of Care Through Unity and Mutual Aid

by Amy Ramirez

What happens when you bring a foundation and nonprofits together with the goal of increasing sustainability and strengthening the system of care? What can happen when a foundation facilitates coordination among expert organizations to this end?

These were the questions that inspired, and continue to guide, the Northern Sonoma County Coalition, which the Healthcare Foundation initiated in January. 

But first a little background: In January of 2022, the California Department of Healthcare Services launched California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, or CalAIM, a multiyear initiative to improve health outcomes for those living with complex health and social needs. For the first time in history, social determinants of health services such as case management, housing navigation, rental assistance, medical case management, caregiving, food distribution, and transportation became reimbursable through Medi-Cal insurance.

This expanded coverage is having an important impact for providers and the communities they serve across the state—as a major new report channeling the voices of Californians with multiple health and social needs makes clear. (You can read key takeaways as well as the report itself by visiting California Health Care Foundation’s website.)

Locally, this means that our region’s clinics and nonprofits providing this vital care can be reimbursed for their work. 

Yet, while the program itself is a huge step forward in expanding healthcare, the preparation to become a CalAIM provider is a long and complicated road requiring a potentially significant investment of time and resources. This is especially true for northern Sonoma County’s impactful but smaller grassroots organizations and healthcare clinics. 

This is why we formed the Northern Sonoma County Coalition. It brings together the six organizations that make up our region’s system of care, all of whom are technically eligible to bill Medi-Cal for services but, to varying degrees, face hurdles in attaining status as a CalAIM provider. Through coordination and the pooling of collective knowledge and resources, the Coalition seeks to help each member with the institutional lift, ultimately clearing the way for a sustainable revenue stream that can help offset operational costs, strengthening each organization and our system of care as a whole.

Read Amy’s Full Article (2 min read)

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Four Questions for our CalAIM Coalition Partners

The six organizations that make up the Northern Sonoma County Coalition form the backbone of our region’s safety net, collectively addressing a wide range of social determinants of health—from housing and food security to behavioral health and culturally responsive care. As trusted, community-rooted providers, these organizations are central to advancing health equity and ensuring that individuals and families across northern Sonoma County receive the support they need not only to survive, but to thrive.

In an increasingly complex healthcare landscape shaped by initiatives like CalAIM, communication and coordination among service providers are more essential than ever. The Northern Sonoma County Coalition, recently launched by the Healthcare Foundation, seeks to strengthen this interconnected system of care by fostering collaboration, improving shared infrastructure, and amplifying community voice. 

To better understand the impact of this new collaborative effort, we invited leaders from each Coalition organization to reflect on their CalAIM progress, the communities they serve, and how being part of this coalition is enhancing their work and mission. What follows are their responses to a set of four questions, which offer insight into their roles, challenges, and collective vision for a healthier, more equitable future in northern Sonoma County.

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“Being part of the Coalition has been energizing and deeply affirming. . . . It’s a space where trust is built, ideas are exchanged, and shared challenges are tackled collectively.”

-Sue Labbe, Chief Executive Officer, Alliance Medical Center

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“By bringing people and organizations together, the Foundation has played a pivotal role in helping us raise awareness of the challenges our patients face and identify new opportunities for collaboration and impact.”

–Kirsten Tellez, Director of Development, Alexander Valley Healthcare

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“As a small, five-year-old nonprofit founded and governed by the Latine and Indigenous immigrant community we serve, Botanical Bus benefits from the Foundation’s forum for knowledge-sharing, connections, and collaborative funding opportunities with established health and human service providers.”

–Jocelyn Boreta, Executive Director, The Botanical Bus

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“As nonprofit leaders, having a trusted space for sharing resources, cultivating partnerships, and exploring joint funding opportunities is essential to sustaining our work.”

–Marcy Flores, Executive Director, Corazón Healdsburg

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“The Healthcare Foundation has been more than a funder — they’ve been a true partner. They believed in us when we were still building the plane mid-flight, and they continue to support our growth in meaningful ways.”

–Jade Weymouth, Executive Director, La Familia Sana

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“We are enjoying being part of a collective solution for northern Sonoma County. We can make a great impact together!”

–Margaret Sluyk, Chief Executive Officer, Reach for Home

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Read the Full Interviews (1.5 min read per interview)

We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals and funders who have supported this effort

Community Foundation Sonoma County
Barbara Grasseschi and Tony Crabb
Medtronic
North Sonoma County Health District

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JOIN US!

Your generous investment in the health and wellbeing of your neighbors creates lasting local impact—because together, “We’ve got the Power!”

In honor of Mental Health month, we invite you to reflect on those in your life who have benefited, or could benefit from, access to mental health services and make a gift in their honor.

Your honorary gift can easily be made through our donate button below, by check or requesting a grant from your donor advised fund. Consider a recurring donation and automatically spread your giving across the year, making a more consistent impact.