Together We Can Improve Sonoma County’s Referral Networks

Sonoma Connect | Sonoma Unidos is 1 of 8 participating network organization in the RePARE project (Research to Pursue and Advance Racial Equity) led by Health Leads. This research will inform our work on the Resource Connection Network and help us collectively understand community-anchored referral network best practices to advance community health & racial health equity.

We are sharing Health Lead's surveys' to invite your organization and your clients/patients insights by completing a survey (we approximate this survey will take 10-15 minutes):

• Survey for Partner Organizations (Tribal, Education, Government, Healthcare, Behavioral Health, Managed Care Plan Partners)
• Survey for Clients
• Survey in Spanish for Clients
• Health Leads can also provide the survey in additional languages upon request

These surveys will help us identify current equity gaps and challenges that exist within the referral networks in our community and will impact the work of Sonoma Connect | Sonoma Unidos, especially the implementation of the Resource Connection Network.

How to Take Action

Please take some time to provide your feedback and also share the survey with your clients. We can provide compensation to at least 60 participants who complete the survey and although we would like to compensate everyone, we are prioritizing compensation to client populations. 

Client participants will automatically be entered into a drawing and may be eligible to receive $25 gift card compensation. If funds remain, participants from partner participations will also be entered into the drawing.

Help us spread the word out to your clients and community members impacted by Sonoma County’s referral network. Use our toolkit to share information about the survey 

Upcoming Action Team Meetings

This month, the Sonoma Connect | Sonoma Unidos Action Teams will be working on the agenda items below:

ACE Screening Implementation Action Team 

Thursday, August 3, 2023 | 2:00pm-3:00pm

In this meeting Maria Juarez Sanchez from Alliance will share their current ACE screening workflow in OCHIN EPIC and lead a discussion around screening workflows, challenges people may be encountering in their workflows, and possible strategies to address them.

Community Accountability Action Team 

Wednesday August 9, 2023 | 3:00pm-4:30pm

In this meeting we will discuss what a framework that leads with race may look like and why we are choosing to lead with race.

Resource Connection Network Action Team  

Monday, August 28, 2023 | 1:00pm-3:00pm

Join us to participate in decision making regarding next steps in the implementation of the Resource Connection Network 

Our Action Team meetings offer simultaneous interpretation in Spanish. 



Join us in moving this important work forward by attending an upcoming meeting!



NinePatch (Resource Connection Network) Contract Update

As of July 2023, Community Action Partnership (CAP) of Sonoma County will become the contract holder for the NinePatch platform, which we locally refer to as the Resource Connection Network, in Sonoma County. Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County leadership, including CEO Cynthia King and COO Johnny Nolen, bring a wealth of expertise in systems design and implementation, data equity, and Radical Transformational Leadership for Social Impact. CAP has strong partnerships with cross-sector partners and their leadership will help prioritize community-led decisions being at the center of the build-out of the Resource Connection Network. With community governance being a pillar of the way Community Based Organizations are structured, we aim to continue to work with community voice informing the design of the Resource Connection Network. Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County is also becoming a CalAIM Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports provider and will therefore be able to access the CalAIM TA marketplace and get free consulting from vendors such as Intrepid Ascent and Blue Path Health to support implementation of the Resource Connection Network.

The former contract holder Aliados Health is committed and funded to continue their support of this work including participation on the Community Leadership Board and Sustainability Workgroup, implementation of the ACEs Action Team, and focused liaison and support related to the implementation of the Resource Connection Network in Health Centers and connection with existing systems used by Health Centers, such as OCHIN Epic (the Electronic Health Record system that Sonoma County Health Centers are transitioning to using).

Protect Mental Health Funding For Children And Youth

Current proposed changes to Proposition 63 would eliminate existing requirements to spend dollars on mental health services and supports for children and youth. Since 2005, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) has worked to fill in funding gaps where the State has underinvested, especially in the areas of prevention and children’s services. If the proposed changes were in effect today, children’s programs, community-based organizations, and counties could see a reduction of over $700 million annually in funding for children’s mental health services and supports. 

MHSA needs your support to protect hard-fought mental health funding for children and youth! 

Sign on to this Children’s Movement letter by August 8 urging Governor Newsom and the California Legislature to protect mental health funding for children and youth in changes to the MHSA. 

Community Events and Learning Opportunities

ACEs and Trauma-Informed Care in Reproductive Health: Fundamentals and Priorities in the Field 

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 | 12-1pm PST

Family Service Coordination Team: Community Resource Clinic

When: Every Tuesday 3:00pm-4:30pm

Where: 2300 Northpoint Pkwy, Santa Rosa

Anyone looking for support and services in our community may come to the community resource clinic for assistance with understanding and accessing community support and services for themselves or their loved one. Family Members/Allies, Consumers/Peers and Service Providers are all welcome to join!

Community Action Partnership Open House 

When: Tuesday, August 29, 2023 | 4:00 PM PT - 7:00 PM PT

Where: 2250 Northpoint Parkway Santa Rosa, CA 95407

Come say hi at CAP’s new house! Join for a family-friendly celebration, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, great food, fun activities, and lots of community building. 

Center for Wellbeing’s Sonoma County Community Health Worker Network Meeting

Meets the third Wednesday of the month from 12:30-2:00pm via Zoom

• Learn about local community resources and services
• Learn about training and job opportunities
• Connect with peers and share information
• Hear from panels and guest speakers 

Child Parent Institute August Parenting Classes



The Child Parent Institute has a variety of free parenting classes in August and throughout the year.

Want to see your events featured?

Are you a community partner and would like to see your upcoming events featured in Sonoma Connect | Sonoma Unidos’s newsletter? Please contact Mariana Raschke mraschke@sonomaconnect.org.

We accept submissions until one week prior to the beginning of each month.

Guide to Equity Terminology: Promoting Behavioral Health Equity through the Words We Use

Application Process for the Statewide Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting Task Force

Submission deadline is August 9, 2023, 5:00pm PDT

Promoting Mental Health Careers and Improving Mental Health Outcomes Among Latinx Youth

We express our appreciation to our funders!

www.sonomaconnect.org

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