Community Wellness Centers

The Healthcare Foundation is supporting participatory planning processes rooted in community engagement and neighborhood empowerment to envision future community wellness centers (CWCs) in Healdsburg, Windsor, and Cloverdale. 

Studies have consistently shown that local CWCs designed by and for the people who will use them can foster trust, a sense of safety, belonging and well-being. In doing so, CWCs increase social capital and life satisfaction—benefits which in turn result in positive and measurable health-related outcomes, both physical and mental, and increased life expectancy.

We are grateful for the support of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District and Providence in making these convenings possible.

Cloverdale

In July of 2022, neighborhood convenings into the potential and parameters for a community wellness center (CWC) in Cloverdale began. The two-year effort is being facilitated by On the Margins in collaboration with leading local community-based organizations La Familia Sana, Nuestra Comunidad, and Alexander Valley Healthcare. The project was soon named, ‘Nuestra Comunidad Sana.’ As described by On the Margins, “The objective of Nuestra Comunidad Sana is to use a grassroots approach led by BIPOC Cloverdale communities to envision a safe, vibrant, green, community space of belonging.” The project’s phases include developing a community-based design, engaging in data collection, performing data analysis, and sharing out the findings and community-envisioned plan in a final report.

Windsor

CWC convenings were inaugurated in Windsor in 2023, facilitated by On the Margins in collaboration with coalition members from Nuestra Comunidad and Alliance Medical Center. You can read more about the findings of these convenings in this final report.

Healdsburg

The CWC convenings in Healdsburg that took place during 2024 are now complete. The final report (part 1, part 2) showcases the community’s aspirations for the forthcoming Healdsburg Multicultural Center, shaped by a community-led research endeavor. In response to a profound need for a multicultural and inclusive space of belonging, the Healthcare Foundation spearheaded this initiative, bringing together the following partners — On the Margins, Corazón Healdsburg, Alliance Medical Center, Goring & Straja Architects, and Carducci Associates. Through a participatory process involving surveys, listening sessions, and design workshops, 129 residents shared their voices and perspectives, shaping the Healdsburg Multicultural Center from its conceptualization to its architectural design. Analysis of the collected data revealed key themes and priorities, giving rise to ten “Design Mandates” that serve as a roadmap for the center’s development.

To further solidify the community’s vision and translate it into tangible design concepts, two esteemed firms, Goring & Straja Architects and Carducci Associates, were hired to join the effort. These two firms orchestrated two pivotal community sessions designed to bridge the gap between aspirations and architectural realities. They translated the aspirations into concrete design mandates, offering a roadmap for creating a space that truly reflects and serves the needs of all Healdsburg residents. This report is a testament to the power of community engagement and collaboration, showcasing the potential for creating a truly inclusive multicultural center in Healdsburg.

Grantees serving as lead agencies in this process are: