Building Bridges to Better Health

Health Partnerships

The Grant Program for Health Partnerships focuses on people who have limited access to healthcare, are most at-risk for poor health in relation to this county's leading health indicators, and are most likely to experience disparities in healthcare.

The program's focus and design reflect three lessons from our first ten years as a grantmaker.

1. Systemic change is the most sustainable way to improve the health of underserved adults and children.
2. In health care, systemic change is best achieved through targeted, multi-year health initiatives, which we define as a series of complementary actions that improve people's access to services.
3. The most successful initiatives are the product of a "hand-crafted" partnership between us and those we fund – and often involve collaborations among many local organizations.

With those elements in mind, organizations can use our funds to: 1) create an action plan for implementing a health initiative, and 2) implement a detailed action plan for a health initiative. In addition, organizations that receive grants can avail themselves of additional funding to increase their administrative, financial, and/or governance competencies.

Partnerships to Create Action Plans

• Bay Point/Pittsburg African American Health Initiative

Partnerships to Implement Health Initiatives

• Enhancing Latino Senior Services
• Integrating Behavioral Health with Primary Care
• Latino Osteoporosis Health Collaborative
• 211 Contra Costa

Model Past Initiatives

• The Spanish-Speaking Women's Cancer Initiative (2001-2004)
• The Healthy Aging Initiative (2001-2006)

Concluded Partnerships

• Antioch Children's Health Alliance
• Contra Costa Health Access Campaign