Dear Friends,

I recently returned from a trip with my family to the San Diego Zoo. We had the opportunity to learn about various animal habitats and the variety of animals that cohabitate and have symbiotic relationships that increase their chance of survival and quality of life.

Much like the oxpeckers and the zebras, working together to stay healthy, our own healthcare ecosystem relies on partnerships that are mutually beneficial. Many people have asked if the Healthcare Foundation partners with local agencies and healthcare providers. My answer is yes, and that these partnerships are vital to the Foundation’s works and the community’s benefit.

Whether it is through our newly formed Northern Sonoma County Healthcare Coalition, which brings together six northern Sonoma County organizations to work toward sustainability and shared best practices; or through our ECO Group work with seniors in Cloverdale that highlights the partnership between senior services, healthcare providers and local social services, the Foundation prioritizes and values partnership above all else.

Organizational partnership fosters creativity, innovation, credibility, trust and sustainability. Furthermore, partnerships allow for strong alignment among actors in our system of care,  increasing collective impact.

In this month’s newsletter, you will read about our growing partnership with Healdsburg Hospital and Santa Rosa Junior College. I am also excited for you all to meet new Board member Rachel Glitz, who is a dynamic local leader in the healthcare space.

The Healthcare Foundation is proud to be the convener and initiator of many important partnerships. We believe that together we can accomplish more than we ever could alone. Our partnerships include our local hospitals, local grassroots and nonprofit organizations, the community we serve, national and local funders, and all of you. We cannot move the dial on healthcare and mental healthcare access alone, nor would we want to. Taking a cue from nature, we all must work symbiotically to stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Amy Ramirez
Executive Director

Partner Spotlight: Providence

A conversation with Michelle Oxford, Chief Administrative Officer, Healdsburg and Petaluma Valley Hospital, Providence

The ​​Healthcare Foundation’s partnership with Providence runs deep. Providence has long supported the Healthcare Foundation’s mission as well as helped to fund specific efforts like the 2021 Community Response Teams initiative. Providence’s Montserrat Archila serves on the Healthcare Foundation’s Board of Directors, and our executive director, Amy Ramirez, came to the organization from Providence as well.

Most recently, through its generous support of the Healthcare Foundation’s Community Wellness Center (CWC) initiative, Providence has played a crucial role in supporting the development of multicultural community wellness centers in northern Sonoma County by funding facilitated neighborhood convenings to design inclusive, intergenerational spaces promoting health and well-being.

These efforts, which began in Cloverdale and Windsor and (with support once more from Providence) expanded in 2024 to Healdsburg, involved collaboration with local organizations such as La Familia Sana, Nuestra Comunidad, Alexander Valley Healthcare, Alliance Medical Center, and Corazón Healdsburg to ensure the collective envisioning of the CWCs reflected the unique characteristics and needs of each community.

Read Michelle’s Full Article (3 min read)

Grantee Spotlight: Santa Rosa Junior College

Finding Resources and Community through the HOPE Program at SRJC

The Health Occupation Preparation Education (HOPE) Program at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) advances the success of underrepresented and first-generation students in healthcare careers. It plays a crucial role in building a diverse, competent healthcare workforce, benefiting the broader community.

HOPE’s transformational impact attracts strong support from the Healthcare Foundation. As part of its focus on healthcare workforce pipelines, the Foundation, with donor support, funds scholarships that HOPE provides to qualifying students. These stipends help cover unanticipated costs, emergency expenses, workforce development workshops, and more.

HOPE’s Program Coordinator, Arley Rodas Lara, stepped into the role previously held by Healthcare Foundation Board member Daisy Cardenas, who first joined HOPE as a Student Success Specialist in 2019.

“Daisy is still very much involved,” says Arley. “We give her updates on how the program is going. It’s because of Daisy’s hard work and dedication that the program is still alive and able to continue.”

Arley leads a small, dedicated team of two Student Success Specialists. Due to funding limitations, only Arley’s position is full-time, while her colleagues work part-time. Together, they provide one-on-one support to 150 SRJC human sciences students in HOPE, though approximately 330 remain on a waiting list. “Capacity,” confirms Arley, “is the biggest challenge we face.”

“Because our program is very high-touch,” she explains. “We have case management, and we make sure each student is getting the exact support they need. Another issue is also funding-related: We offer scholarships for our students and we want to make sure we are able to offer it to every student who is eligible.”

A Sonoma County native and the daughter of parents from Mexico, Arley is herself a first-generation college graduate who understands the challenges these students face. She transferred from SRJC to UC Santa Cruz in 2019, earning a double degree in Psychology and Latin American / Latino Studies.

“HOPE is more than a program, it’s a lifeline for students who feel lost in the system.”

Arley Rodas Lara

“It was during my undergraduate journey at UCSC that I got into the student services side of education,” she says. “I focused a lot of my research on first-generation students in STEM and health sciences. I wanted to understand the struggle that a lot of us face and find ways to make the journey easier for the students who come after me.”

Her own journey, though successful, was not easy. “I unfortunately was one of those students who didn’t have the usual support systems. I didn’t have any mentors—my parents worked very hard to support me but never went to college or earned any degrees—so it was me paving the path for my younger sister.”

Now, she continues paving that path for others as HOPE Program Coordinator, a role she calls “very close to my heart.”

“HOPE is more than a program, it’s a lifeline for students who feel lost in the system. I have the privilege of being able to guide students through these challenges in higher education. I want to hand off all of my experience, my knowledge and skills and tips, to students who come into this program.”

That spirit of passing on knowledge is integral to HOPE’s culture. HOPE students often become tutors, helping peers in prerequisite health sciences classes. Others develop leadership skills to support fellow students.

A case in point is Genesis Schloss, a first-generation college student and young mother who joined HOPE in 2020. Now in her first semester of nursing school at SRJC, she credits HOPE staff with encouraging her to take on leadership roles.

Read More about Genesis (2.5 min read)

HEALTHCARE HERO

Did you know?

• Since 2018, Healthcare Heroes have contributed $975,000 in sustainable unrestricted funding.
• With the support of community investors like you, we’re advancing health equity across our region, including through grants to the SRJC HOPE program.
• As a Healthcare Hero, your support is gratefully, prominently recognized on our website and in regular communications, including our annual report. 
• Your Healthcare Hero gift can be fulfilled monthly, quarterly or annually at an amount that is meaningful to you.
• Become a Healthcare Hero today and join us on May 3rd from 12 to 3pm at Bacchus Landing for our inaugural Health Hero celebration!

Meet Rachel Glitz, Healthcare Foundation Board Member

Rachel Glitz joined the Healthcare Foundation’s Board of Directors in January, one of five new members to start their Board service with the new year. That same month, Rachel also began a new position as Executive Director of Cancer Support Sonoma, which provides integrative, complementary therapies on a sliding scale to individuals facing a cancer diagnosis.

As a glance at her Board bio makes clear, Rachel comes to the Healthcare Foundation with a wealth of experience in healthcare and nonprofit law, public policy, and fundraising. Her interest in healthcare precedes even her early work in D.C. with the Senate Finance Committee (which has a Health Care subcommittee) and her work at EMILY’s List, which provides financial support and strategic advice to Democratic women who are running for elective office and whose policy position is pro-choice.

“Healthcare policy is a long-standing interest of mine,” she confirms. “I took a course in college on healthcare systems, and [in law school] I took healthcare law classes.”

Read Rachel’s Full Article (4 min read)

The post Healthcare is Partnership | El Acceso al Cuidado da la Salud se Fortalece a Través de la Associación appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

Most recently, through its generous support of the Healthcare Foundation’s Community Wellness Center (CWC) initiative, Providence has played a crucial role in supporting the development of multicultural community wellness centers in northern Sonoma County by funding facilitated neighborhood convenings to design inclusive, intergenerational spaces promoting health and well-being. 

These efforts, which began in Cloverdale and Windsor and (with support once more from Providence) expanded in 2024 to Healdsburg, involved collaboration with local organizations such as La Familia Sana, Nuestra Comunidad, Alexander Valley Healthcare, Alliance Medical Center, and Corazón Healdsburg to ensure the collective envisioning of the CWCs reflected the unique characteristics and needs of each community.

Through its transformative support, Providence is helping to advance our common goal of fostering community resilience and promoting health equity by creating spaces that empower residents to take charge of their health and well-being.

We recently asked Healdsburg and Petaluma Valley Hospital, Providence, Chief Administrative Officer Michelle Oxford, MBA, FACHE, about this unique partnership and how it aligns with Providence’s priorities for the north county region it serves. Michelle, who graciously responded to our written questions by email, joined the Providence team in May of 2024 as CAO for Petaluma Valley Hospital and Healdsburg Hospital.

What brought you to Providence?

My healthcare career began in Business Development with Catholic Healthcare West, and I later spent a decade at Bakersfield Heart Hospital, serving as president and CEO for seven years. I have a deep passion for hospital operations, service line growth and financial performance within an integrated delivery network. Now I have the honor of being Healdsburg and Petaluma Valley Hospitals’ chief administrative officer. I also provide operational leadership for the Providence Northern California service area which includes Humboldt, Napa and Sonoma County facilities.  

Did you have a prior connection to Sonoma County?

My connection to Sonoma County runs deep—my sister and her family moved here nearly two decades ago, and over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and growing fond of this incredible community.

“We are proud to partner with the Healthcare Foundation, Corazón Healdsburg and Alliance Medical Center to develop wellness centers that directly address our community’s most pressing healthcare needs. By working alongside our underserved residents, we are co-creating spaces where everyone has the opportunity to feel supported, cared for and empowered to thrive.”

Michelle Oxford

How does Healdsburg Hospital fit into the system of care you work in?

Healdsburg Hospital is a cornerstone of this community, providing 24/7 emergency care and continuously expanding services like orthopedic care and general surgery to better meet local needs. I’m honored to be part of a hospital that prioritizes excellence in patient care and truly puts the well-being of our community first. We also work in close partnership with our sister hospitals—Petaluma Valley Hospital and Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital—to support the health and well-being of Sonoma County. By collaborating across our network, we ensure patients have seamless access to high-quality care, from emergency services to specialized treatments.

Together, we are dedicated to expanding healthcare access, addressing local health priorities, and providing compassionate, comprehensive care for all who call Sonoma County home.

What do you see as the biggest challenges around health and wellbeing for Healdsburg and the region and how is Providence responding?

We remain deeply focused on the significant healthcare challenges facing Healdsburg and the surrounding region—especially for our most vulnerable populations. In 2023, we completed our triennial Community Health Needs Assessment, which shaped our 2024 plan to address key priorities: improving access to health and dental care, expanding mental health and substance use disorder services, supporting those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, and enhancing programs for our aging population. We are also committed to approaching these priorities with a lens of equity, recognizing the impact of racism and discrimination on health outcomes.

Beyond the hospital walls, we actively provide direct services in the community, including our mobile health clinic, which serves patients at Calvary Chapel River Fellowship in Windsor every Tuesday. We also invest in partnerships to strengthen local healthcare infrastructure—for example, funding Alliance Medical Center’s mobile vision clinic and expanding their dental services in Windsor, as well as supporting Alexander Valley Healthcare’s expansion of Spanish-language mental health services.

You recently participated in one of the Healdsburg CWC community listening sessions. What was your impression, and what is the importance of this initiative for Providence?

First, I want to express my gratitude for such a thoughtfully managed listening session. The engagement and care put into these conversations are truly inspiring and essential to shaping meaningful community health initiatives.

In 2023, our Community Health team awarded a $285,000 grant to the Healthcare Foundation to support the Healdsburg Community Wellness Center. This multicultural space will be dedicated to fostering health and well-being in Healdsburg. Building on the success of our community wellness center in Windsor—designed to support the needs of our Latinx community—this initiative is rooted in community engagement and co-creation.

We are proud to partner with the Healthcare Foundation, Corazón Healdsburg and Alliance Medical Center to develop wellness centers that directly address our community’s most pressing healthcare needs. By working alongside our underserved residents, we are co-creating spaces where everyone has the opportunity to feel supported, cared for and empowered to thrive.

How do you describe the relationship between Providence and the Healthcare Foundation?

We view the Healthcare Foundation as a vital partner in our shared mission to serve the most vulnerable members of our community. For several years, their leadership team has been actively engaged in our Community Benefit Committee, working alongside us to identify and address local healthcare needs. 

Together, we strategically align our efforts to maximize resources and expand access to care. Through this collaboration, we’re able to provide more comprehensive support for Sonoma County residents—extending our impact far beyond the walls of our hospital and into the heart of the community.

The post Partner Spotlight: Providence appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

“Healthcare policy is a long-standing interest of mine,” she confirms. “I took a course in college on healthcare systems, and [in law school] I took healthcare law classes.”

In her ten years as an attorney, Rachel practiced in the area of regulatory compliance and transactions at the firm of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and as in-house counsel at McKesson Corporation, serving their pharmaceutical distribution business and also the McKesson Foundation.

After several years overseas with her family, Rachel says she is excited to be returning to the healthcare arena in ways that directly improve the lives of people in her community and allow scope for systemic change that can make healthcare more equitable and accessible for all. We spoke with her recently about her path to the Healthcare Foundation and the perspective she brings to the work ahead.

What was your prior professional experience with healthcare?

I was a healthcare attorney, which in California also means you’re a nonprofit attorney. I practiced for about ten years in private practice and also worked for McKesson. I was interested in healthcare policy even before that. I remember taking a class in college that really intrigued me, and before I went to law school I worked in government and politics, and was partly motivated by that experience to pursue healthcare further.  

Over that time you must have seen a lot of change in the healthcare system overall, it’s growing complexity for one?

Yes, it’s a mess. It’s just gotten worse from my perspective. (I think many people would probably share my perspective.) I always wanted to be a part of a solution, which motivated me in going into healthcare law—although I found that it was not the avenue to solving healthcare policy issues. That doesn’t mean I didn’t provide valuable services, but the job involved, basically, navigating the system that we had. It’s wonderful to now be in a space where I can contribute to improving the system of care we have. I’m eager to be making a positive impact for people who have to navigate the healthcare system, which is all of us really. That’s very meaningful to me.

What brought you to the Healthcare Foundation in particular?

It was a personal relationship with a Board member. Ingrid [Maltrud] and I are friends. I had been wanting to engage in community service, to contribute beyond the immediate needs of my family and give back to my community in a meaningful way. Ingrid helped me with that searching and reflection. But perhaps I should back up a little to explain what had brought me to that point. 

I was practicing law in San Francisco for McKesson when my husband got an opportunity that took us abroad. We left in 2011 and ended up living in Indonesia for seven years. I couldn’t practice law in Indonesia without getting relicensed, so I had this break. In it, I started doing fundraising work and other work for nonprofits—my children’s school, first of all, but also other nonprofits that served people in dire poverty. I developed a lot of experience in fundraising, so when I came back to California I focused on that work for my children’s school here. 

After I left Sonoma Academy, it was a good opportunity to reassess what I wanted to do. I was quite interested in getting back into the healthcare arena but in a way that felt different, less like maintaining the status quo and more like helping to move things in a better direction. I came to the Board after some very intentional thinking about where I wanted to put my energy and Ingrid helped me get there. She also took me to a couple of events, where I got to meet supporters and Board members and learn more about what the Foundation does. I was really intrigued. The Mental Health Talent Pipeline struck me in particular, and reminded me of some of the work I had done in the past supporting first-generation students in the college process. That was one of my favorite parts of the work I did in my prior job.

Can you say a little about the other position you recently started? 

At the same time that I came onto the Healthcare Foundation Board, I took the executive director position at Cancer Support Sonoma, which is obviously also healthcare related. We serve cancer patients and the people who love them with supplemental services to their medical treatment. We’re delivering services like acupuncture, acupressure, oncology massage, yoga, mental health services, and end of life services. Those two things came together at once. I joined the Board in January and I took that position in January.

“There’s so much being done in terms of outreach, to connect with different communities in the region to better understand what people actually need and what they actually want (not what somebody thinks they want).”

Rachel Glitz

What are your impressions so far as a Board member?

I’ve been impressed with all of the members of the Board who I’ve had a chance to spend time with and the staff—not only their skill sets but also their dedication to the work of the Foundation, their commitment. It’s inspiring. I’m also very impressed with Amy. She’s pretty new, too, and having assumed my current role at Cancer Support Sonoma, I have even more respect for all that she has taken on and all that she has already achieved in such a short time. I love her energy and her passion for this work, and I look to her for guidance in how we can better connect with every facet of our community. The steps being taken to diversify our Board, for viewpoints and life experience and background, is great. And there’s so much being done in terms of outreach, to connect with different communities in the region to better understand what people actually need and what they actually want (not what somebody thinks they want), so that we can better help to provide those services. All of this is very appealing to me, and it says a lot about the organization and why I wanted to be a part of it.

What is it you most admire or appreciate about northern Sonoma County?

​​I love Sonoma County for all the obvious reasons — it is beautiful, and it has phenomenal resources for being outdoors, for eating good food, drinking good wine, and so much more. But also because of the several different communities of friends, colleagues and organizations that I have been welcomed into since I moved here. I think that joining the expat community in Bali taught me how to engage and connect with others in ways I might not otherwise have explored — good training for moving here and starting fresh, back in 2018, when we decided not to return to San Francisco but to make northern Sonoma County our home.

The post Meet Rachel Glitz, Healthcare Foundation Board Member appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

The Health Occupation Preparation Education (HOPE) Program at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) advances the success of underrepresented and first-generation students in healthcare careers. It plays a crucial role in building a diverse, competent healthcare workforce, benefiting the broader community.

HOPE’s transformational impact attracts strong support from the Healthcare Foundation. As part of its focus on healthcare workforce pipelines, the Foundation, with donor support, funds scholarships that HOPE provides to qualifying students. These stipends help cover unanticipated costs, emergency expenses, workforce development workshops, and more.

HOPE’s Program Coordinator, Arley Rodas Lara, stepped into the role previously held by Healthcare Foundation Board member Daisy Cardenas, who first joined HOPE as a Student Success Specialist in 2019.

“Daisy is still very much involved,” says Arley. “We give her updates on how the program is going. It’s because of Daisy’s hard work and dedication that the program is still alive and able to continue.”

Arley leads a small, dedicated team of two Student Success Specialists. Due to funding limitations, only Arley’s position is full-time, while her colleagues work part-time. Together, they provide one-on-one support to 150 SRJC human sciences students in HOPE, though approximately 330 remain on a waiting list. “Capacity,” confirms Arley, “is the biggest challenge we face.”

“Because our program is very high-touch,” she explains. “We have case management, and we make sure each student is getting the exact support they need. Another issue is also funding-related: We offer scholarships for our students and we want to make sure we are able to offer it to every student who is eligible.”

A Sonoma County native and the daughter of parents from Mexico, Arley is herself a first-generation college graduate who understands the challenges these students face. She transferred from SRJC to UC Santa Cruz in 2019, earning a double degree in Psychology and Latin American / Latino Studies.

“HOPE is more than a program, it’s a lifeline for students who feel lost in the system.”

Arley Rodas Lara

“It was during my undergraduate journey at UCSC that I got into the student services side of education,” she says. “I focused a lot of my research on first-generation students in STEM and health sciences. I wanted to understand the struggle that a lot of us face and find ways to make the journey easier for the students who come after me.”

Her own journey, though successful, was not easy. “I unfortunately was one of those students who didn’t have the usual support systems. I didn’t have any mentors—my parents worked very hard to support me but never went to college or earned any degrees—so it was me paving the path for my younger sister.”

Now, she continues paving that path for others as HOPE Program Coordinator, a role she calls “very close to my heart.”

“HOPE is more than a program, it’s a lifeline for students who feel lost in the system. I have the privilege of being able to guide students through these challenges in higher education. I want to hand off all of my experience, my knowledge and skills and tips, to students who come into this program.”

That spirit of passing on knowledge is integral to HOPE’s culture. HOPE students often become tutors, helping peers in prerequisite health sciences classes. Others develop leadership skills to support fellow students.

A case in point is Genesis Schloss, a first-generation college student and young mother who joined HOPE in 2020. Now in her first semester of nursing school at SRJC, she credits HOPE staff with encouraging her to take on leadership roles.

“I recently took a position with the Student Nursing Association to do high school outreach,” she explains. “I just did my first outreach on Friday. I encouraged the students to use the resources the high school has, and if they were to come to SRJC, I recommended the HOPE program.”

Genesis wants others to benefit from the support she found at HOPE. “It’s important to have that community that motivates you, that wants to see you succeed. I told them, too, ‘There are other students like you there, people that have challenges in their lives.’ It normalizes what you’re going through and tells you there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

“And the resources. I can’t emphasize enough what HOPE has,” she says. “I did a speed-mentor night, where I got to meet nurses who talked to me about their journey; I did CPR workshops. They got me ready for my TEAS (the test for entering the Nursing track), they even provided the book! And study groups: They taught me how to really study, a technique called active studying. I saw my grades go up as a result. I got A’s in all my prerequisites. 

“I don’t think I could have done it without HOPE and everything they provided me to thrive in my school—the community, the workshops, the tutoring, it all contributed to my success.”

Genesis’s interest in nursing stemmed from her father’s serious illness, which left him paralyzed when she was in middle school. As the oldest of three children, she stepped up to support her mother in caring for the family.

“I saw my mom work overtime, and take on my father’s responsibilities,” she recalls. “I would visit my dad after school or, later, after he was transferred from Memorial here in Santa Rosa to San Francisco, Marin, and then San Jose, I would see him on weekends. I saw how nurses would treat my dad, and how they would comfort me during these difficult times. It made me want to be stronger for my family. I didn’t know what college would be like, but that was an eye-opener for me. I knew I wanted to be in healthcare.”

As a first-generation student, the path to college was unfamiliar. When her high school principal told her that, since she wasn’t in college prep classes, junior college was her only option, she insisted to her counselor that she wanted to attend a four-year university. Her counselor guided her through the requirements and encouraged her to take SRJC summer health career classes.

“That experience increased my interest,” she says. “I got hands-on experience; I got to meet people. I knew then, ‘I want to do nursing.’”

“[HOPE] changed my life, actually. I met a community that I’d been seeking for the longest time [and] I got to see other moms who were in the Nursing Program and also raising a family. That motivated me.”

Genesis Schloss

After graduating, she enrolled at SRJC while helping support her family and, later, raising her own child. Struggling to stay motivated, she learned about HOPE tutoring through a friend. Though not initially in the program, she was warmly welcomed.

“That changed my life, actually. I met a community that I’d been seeking for the longest time,” she says. “I got to see other moms, too, who were in the Nursing Program and also raising a family. That motivated me. I thought, ‘I can do this for my family.’ I joined HOPE and just felt comfortable there.

“Now I’m in my first semester in Nursing School,” she continues. “I got in on my first try. HOPE staff guided me through the process. They were my second pair of eyes on applications. They would check up on me. ‘Have you done this, or completed that?’ They made sure I did everything before the deadlines, that I was on track and OK.”

“I’m excited to see the growth in myself over these last five years with HOPE,” says Genesis. “I was really shy at first. Now I’m in leadership and giving my testimony to other students.”

“I commend our health sciences students for taking on this challenge and pursuing their dreams,” says Arley, “and for working extremely hard to get where they want to be. 

“A large percentage of our students are Latinos,” she notes. “There’s a lot of uncertainty right now given the political climate. There’s a lot of self-doubt and fear among our students. At such a time, it’s even more important for us to be here to support them, to offer words of encouragement and guide them. It goes beyond academics. We help them with workforce development, but also with just being human out in the world.”

The post Grantee Spotlight: Santa Rosa Junior College HOPE Program appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

The post Healthcare is Love Drag Brunch 2025 appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

Dear Friends,

I want to thank all of you who attended or supported our dynamic “Healthcare Is Love” event on February 9th. It was a great success—in helping to ensure we have the resources to continue advancing health equity in our region, and as a truly beautiful day together, full of positivity, laughter and hope.

The title we chose for our event was more than sentiment. It’s a fact. Without love, acceptance and belonging, we cannot live healthy lives. With them, moreover, we can truly save lives.

The Healthcare Foundation’s mission focuses on equitable access for all to quality healthcare and mental healthcare, but we never forget that central to these necessities are the even more basic ones of love and belonging. This understanding is at work in our support of multicultural and intergenerational community wellness centers in Windsor, Healdsburg and Cloverdale. It’s there in our support of Latine seniors and their self-empowerment in Cloverdale. It shines through the community of bilingual mental health professionals we have helped to nurture through our Mental Health Talent Pipeline scholarship program. And it’s there, too, in our newly formed Northern Sonoma County Coalition.

You’ll find that understanding again in this month’s newsletter, in the remarks and clear-eyed vision of our new Board Chair, Mona Hanes. It’s echoed in the words and lifelong dedication of new Board member Dr. Jed Weissberg. And you’ll see it reflected, too, in the community spirit and generosity of Healthcare Hero and sustaining donor Sue Rink.

All of our efforts, collectively with your support, are channeled locally, back to our northern Sonoma County communities, in programming and initiatives that are guided by local voices, priorities, expertise and experience. Above all, they are animated throughout by love, acceptance and belonging.

With appreciation,

Amy Ramirez
Executive Director

Recent Grant Announcement

We were so pleased to welcome Cindy Berrios, interim CEO of On the Margins and officially present her with a big check! This financial support was granted by Kaiser Permanente for the NEPANTLAH program serving bilingual and multicultural mental health practitioners, community health workers, and caregivers committed to self-understanding, healing, and growth. 

You can learn more about the program here. Many thanks to Kaiser for their ongoing support and On the Margins for their tireless work!

A Conversation with the Healthcare Foundation’s new Board Chair, Mona Hanes

Mona Hanes, with her husband, Kevin Gay, settled in Healdsburg in 2011. With more than four decades experience at well-established financial institutions around the world, Mona brings financial expertise and a compassionate heart to the Healthcare Foundation, positioning her perfectly to lead us in coming years as the new Board Chair.

Upon retiring in 2018, Mona devoted much of her time volunteering as an advocate on behalf of community members experiencing homelessness in northern Sonoma County. She served on the board of Reach for Home for many years until terming off in 2023.

Never one to be idle, Mona accepted an invitation to join the Healthcare Foundation Board that same year, initially serving on the Finance Committee. Beginning January 2025, as its new Board Chair, we asked for her perspective on Healthcare Foundation’s evolving role in the health ecosystem of northern Sonoma County, and what she sees ahead.

Full Article (4 min read)

New Board Member Spotlight: Meet Jed Weissberg, M.D.!

The Healthcare Foundation is pleased and grateful to welcome five new members to its Board of Directors in 2025, and we are featuring a conversation with each of them over the first months of the new year. In January we spoke with Pamela Torresdey. This month we caught up with Dr. Jed Weissberg, who joins the Healthcare Foundation Board after completing his service on the board of the Northern California Providence Hospital system, which includes Healdsburg Hospital.

A native of New Jersey, Jed settled in Healdsburg in 2018 with his wife and fellow physician Shelley, both having recently retired from careers at Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay. Since then, in addition to the aforementioned board service, Jed has been active with the North Sonoma County Healthcare District and on the strategic planning committee of the Healdsburg Hospital. We asked him recently about what motivates him in his community service and what he sees as the best opportunities for securing the ongoing health and wellbeing of the region he calls home.

Full Article (2 min read)

Healthcare Hero Spotlight: A Conversation with Sue Rink

Sue Rink has been devoted to her Cloverdale community for years, first as a school teacher: she taught at Jefferson Elementary from 1999 until her retirement in 2012. Since then, Sue has been a generous donor to various small, local organizations. 

It was her good friend and neighbor (and former Healthcare Foundation Board member) Peter McAweeney who first told her about the Healthcare Foundation, inviting her to some events. Impressed by the Healthcare Foundation’s emphasis on education, including in its pipeline for mental health professionals, Sue became a Healthcare Hero and chose to make her contribution in the form of a monthly sustaining gift, recognizing the importance to the organization of the steady, reliable funding stream that monthly sustaining donations provide. 

Sue graciously agreed to speak with us recently from her home in Kauai, where she spends part of every year, about her connection to Cloverdale and northern Sonoma County and what inspires her to give back to her community.

Full Article (3 min read)

Become a Healthcare Hero Monthly Sustainer

Thanks to Sue and our generous community of HEROES, we are able to better plan ahead while further expanding our support of local frontline nonprofit organizations working to ensure equitable access to healthcare and mental health services.

Become a monthly HERO for health and join your fellow HEROES on May 3rd at Bacchus Landing for our first HEALTHCARE HERO family celebration.
More details forthcoming…..

CELEBRATE | CONNECT | CONTRIBUTE

We loved celebrating with many of you at the Healthcare is Love – Drag Brunch on Sunday, February 9. Thank you for supporting the lively event, which blended fabulous entertainment with a mission to improve local healthcare access. Please enjoy the event photos and, if you were unable to attend, we look forward to hosting you next February for Healthcare is Love!

Thank you to our sponsors! (Full list here)

The post Healthcare is Love | El Acceso al Cuidado da la Salud es Una Expresión de Amor appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

A native of New Jersey, Jed settled in Healdsburg in 2018 with his wife and fellow physician Shelley, both having recently retired from careers at Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay. Since then, in addition to the aforementioned board service, Jed has been active with the North Sonoma County Healthcare District and on the strategic planning committee of the Healdsburg Hospital. We asked him recently about what motivates him in his community service and what he sees as the best opportunities for securing the ongoing health and wellbeing of the region he calls home.

Can you describe your connection to northern Sonoma County and what motivates you to serve on the Healthcare Foundation board?

My wife and I moved up here in 2018 after long careers with Kaiser Permanente. I was a GI [gastroenterologist] clinician, then a physician and health plan / hospital executive with a responsibility for Quality and Safety. I was curious what a critical access hospital like Healdsburg Hospital was like and started attending their board and strategy meetings. I got tapped to lead the Quality committee for the Providence regional hospital board and served there for four years. I also attended meetings of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District board and there I gained more insight into the needs of our community and the local hospital. Recently, I termed off the Providence regional board and am happy to have been appointed to the Community hospital board for Healdsburg and Petaluma Valley. 

“I’m proud to serve on the board to look more broadly at the needs of folks beyond acute care. Social factors influencing health are critical and much remains to be done.”

Dr. Jed Weissberg

Now, I’m proud to serve on the Healthcare Foundation board to look more broadly at the needs of folks beyond that of acute care. Social factors influencing health are critical and much remains to be done. The Healthcare Foundation has a sterling reputation for looking over the horizon to develop a portfolio of strategies to respond to immediate needs as well as developing capabilities for the future. I first met [former Executive Director] Kim [Bender] and by the time Amy [Ramirez] was appointed [executive director in 2024], I was hooked!

What do you see as a pressing challenge in terms of advancing health equity in northern Sonoma County, and how does the Healthcare Foundation contribute to a solution?

The current political chaos and uncertainty with respect to federal health policy is an immediate challenge and the broad experience of our board and staff are needed to respond in a constructive way that will positively impact our local communities. As noted above, the “drivers” of health often are found outside of clinics and hospitals, and I see the Healthcare Foundation proactively working with underserved communities (with Cloverdale seniors through the ECO Group initiative, for example) to improve population health. That often requires creative fundraising and use of funds.

Finally, what is it you most appreciate and find hope in when it comes to being a resident of northern Sonoma County?

The people! There are simply lots of socially conscious folks who volunteer and seek to improve our community and the world. This makes us really appreciate where we live. And, of course, the wine doesn’t hurt either.

The post New Board Member Spotlight: Meet Jed Weissberg, M.D.! appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

It was her good friend and neighbor (and former Healthcare Foundation Board member) Peter McAweeney who first told her about the Healthcare Foundation, inviting her to some events. Impressed by the Healthcare Foundation’s emphasis on education, including in its pipeline for mental health professionals, Sue became a Healthcare Hero and chose to make her contribution in the form of a monthly sustaining gift, recognizing the importance to the organization of the steady, reliable funding stream that monthly sustaining donations provide. 

Sue graciously agreed to speak with us recently from her home in Kauai, where she spends part of every year, about her connection to Cloverdale and northern Sonoma County and what inspires her to give back to her community. 

Can you tell us how you came to make your home in northern Sonoma County?

I was born in San Francisco and I grew up in San Carlos, just south of San Francisco. I got married in my mid-20s and we moved to Sonoma County. We ended up buying a piece of property near Cloverdale. My husband was a builder, so he built the home in 1992 and we raised our kids there. (He also built our home here in Kauai.) I was a school teacher, working part-time and commuting to Santa Rosa. I ended up getting a job with the Cloverdale Unified School District, at Jefferson, which at the time was kindergarten through third grade. I believe that was 1999. I retired in 2012, so I got to know the community very well. There’s only one school for kindergarten through third grade, one middle school, and then the high school. It’s a small town, eight or nine thousand people. I’d go to the grocery store and my kids would say, “Oh, look, it’s Mrs. Rink!” I got to know all the kids. I’d have siblings from the same family, I’d know the parents. I felt very involved in that community. 

That’s why I like to support northern Sonoma County. I live there and I taught there. I know the kids that went through that system. I know at least one of them was one of the young people who received a [Mental Health Talent Pipeline] scholarship through the Healthcare Foundation.

How did you learn about the Healthcare Foundation?

My neighbor used to be on the Board, Peter McAweeney. He’s a very good friend of mine and he encouraged me to be a Healthcare Hero. He explained how important it is to an organization, for its operations and planning, to be able to know the income they can count on. So I decided that was the way I wanted to go.

“That’s why I like to support northern Sonoma County. I live there and I taught there.”

Sue Rink

What inspires you to give to the Healthcare Foundation in particular?

It’s a good way to give back to my community. I believe in education. It’s so vital. And giving people an opportunity is really important to me.

You spend part of your year in Kauai, which is a second home to you. Do you miss Cloverdale and the region when you’re away?

Oh, I do miss it. I’m leaving Kauai on Saturday, and I’m looking forward to going back to my home there. It’s absolutely beautiful. Cloverdale is a great little town. It hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years I’ve lived there. It still has that small town feeling. I go to the post office and I always see somebody I know. It’s a really wonderful community. I’m close to Lake Sonoma, and I spend a lot of time over at the lake. Hardly anybody goes there, sometimes nobody’s there. I love the natural beauty of the region. Santa Rosa, yes, that has changed. But once you get up to Cloverdale, it’s like going back in time. It’s peaceful; it’s beautiful. It’s my home. My kids live close by and so do good friends that I’ve known for 30 years. It’s got everything as far as I’m concerned.

What do you like to do now that you’re retired?

I’m an artist. I paint in watercolors and oils. Right now, I have a friend visiting and we’ve been going out everyday for plein air painting. We drive to a different location, pull out our easels, set up our paints there on the road, and we paint. I call myself the Midnight Painter. I promote my art a little on facebook and Instagram. But I do it mainly because it makes me happy. It does make me very happy. I’m busy doing that and taking workshops. In fact, I’m so excited because in October I’m going to Mallorca for an art workshop. I can’t believe I’m going there! You can go all around the world with art. It’s my therapy.

Do you actually paint at night?

I do! I paint sometimes a lot at night. I don’t know why. I’ll paint outdoors during the day, but then I’ll also do watercolors. I’ll just start painting in the evening and before I know it it’s midnight. I think to myself, “I guess I should be going to bed at some point,” but I don’t know, everybody’s asleep, it’s so quiet, it’s just a nice time. Some people are morning people. My sister, for instance, will get up at four in the morning. That’s what she likes. I’m on the other end.

I feel very fortunate to live in northern Sonoma County. Being a teacher in this community has been a very rewarding career. Now that I am retired, I appreciate having more time to enjoy it even more. I’m grateful for the full life that I have and that I am able to give back to my community and know it makes a difference.

The post Healthcare Hero Spotlight: A Conversation with Sue Rink appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

Upon retiring in 2018, Mona devoted much of her time volunteering as an advocate on behalf of community members experiencing homelessness in northern Sonoma County. She served on the board of Reach for Home for many years until terming off in 2023. 

Never one to be idle, Mona accepted an invitation to join the Healthcare Foundation Board that same year, initially serving on the Finance Committee. Beginning January 2025, as its new Board Chair, we asked for her perspective on Healthcare Foundation’s evolving role in the health ecosystem of northern Sonoma County, and what she sees ahead.

I understand you’re originally from South Carolina. Do I hear a bit of an accent?

I suppose, every so often. Most of my siblings live in the South. After speaking with one, my husband will say, “Well, you spoke with somebody from home today.”

What brought you into contact with the Healthcare Foundation?

Most of my volunteer work has been advocacy around homelessness. The agency I worked with, Reach for Home (RFH), has the same footprint as the Healthcare Foundation: Northern Sonoma County. When RFH brings people indoors from long-term homelessness, it takes about a month for them to become accustomed to living inside. Usually, their health falls apart. When finally feeling some semblance of security, it seems every ailment ever experienced comes to the forefront. Reach for Home collaborates with the Healthcare Foundation and agencies supported by the Healthcare Foundation to stabilize people with chronic homelessness. In this work, I could see the connection between supporting mental health services and the trauma and the mental health issues existing in the homeless population.

When I termed out as a Board member of RFH in 2023, I sought out the Healthcare Foundation as an opportunity to grow my skill set. Never had I worked as a volunteer with a foundation. With my background as an operational banker, I gravitated toward the operational side of nonprofit work. But I wanted the experience of a foundation, to understand the overlay of all the various nonprofits that we focus on at the Healthcare Foundation in terms of health in northern Sonoma County. Kevin and I had been contributors for a good bit of time. I believe this is our second round of Healthcare Hero [giving], and Kevin and I chose the Healthcare Foundation as one of our legacy gifts. We strongly believe that healthcare is a human right, and we need to make certain that people have access to it.

“I encourage our donor community to find an area that will inspire them to get involved. Ultimately, everything is local. We can truly have an effect where we are.”

Mona Hanes, Board Chair

What have you absorbed of that overlay you mention? How do you see the Healthcare Foundation’s role in the region’s system of care?

I appreciate all four legs of the stool that makes up the Healthcare Foundation: Healthcare Advocacy and Partnership; Healthcare Workforce Pipelines; Capacity-Building Grants; and Community-Led Solutions. The Mental Health Talent Pipeline is very important, but also, I’d like to expand the total pipeline of healthcare workers. For example, elder care advocacy is critical and is being addressed through community health workers; the Promotores programs. I also appreciate the capacity-building grants, and the way the organization has been moving over the last two years toward greater listening and advocacy. I believe we’re on the right path to make certain we are seeing and hearing our vulnerable population at a higher level than we have before. 

I also see that part of our role within the healthcare nonprofit sector in northern Sonoma County is to make certain that each nonprofit has real clarity around what they’re undertaking. Our region has a lot of nonprofits and all of them are doing great work. But if you’re not clear about which is your lane, so to speak, and how your work relates to the greater whole, you can have the problem of competing against each other or, on the other hand, not taking your program to the extent that you could because you fear competing with another group. The Healthcare Foundation plays a great role in that advocacy and partnership to ensure each of the nonprofits we’re supporting is clear in what their role is and not expanding unnecessarily to an area already covered. Money is always tight in the nonprofit world. We are in very uncertain times as the Federal government’s priorities are changing, and many very basic programs are being de-funded. It’s about making certain that we’re doing right by the needs of North County.

How does your background in finance support your role at the Healthcare Foundation?

I am a person who has spent my life looking at organizations figuring out what works and what doesn’t work, pivoting if something doesn’t work. I hope those attributes will assist me on the Board. Ours is such a high-functioning team, I see my role being in partnership, for example, with efforts like the CalAIM project. Amy’s doing a great job of pulling the partnership together.

Through it, the Healthcare Foundation can share information and raise funds to help each of the six local nonprofit partners we’ve identified more efficiently take on the (often daunting) infrastructural lift to connect with Medicaid funding. In general, I feel that’s a role where I can have some impact: making certain that we’re growing together, as opposed to against each other.

Is there anything else on your agenda as Board Chair?

My agenda is simply to support the four strategic areas on which we are focused. The disruption of Federal funding is creating an uncertain environment. While this disruption doesn’t impact the Healthcare Foundation directly, it is hugely disruptive to our nonprofit partners and the community members they serve. Amid it all, I encourage our donor community to find an area that will inspire them to get involved. Ultimately, everything is local. We can truly have an effect where we are. And there’s much to be done here, regardless of the disruption.

You and Kevin have been Healdsburg residents for nearly 15 years, what is it you most appreciate about the region you call home?

I laughingly say I’m a political refugee from the South. I do find the openness to discuss and solve problems very refreshing. I think northern Sonoma County, Healdsburg in particular, functions well. The people who are making decisions are accessible to all of us, and we can provide our input and feedback. There’s an openness and honesty in dialogue in Healdsburg and the surrounding area. That’s what I appreciate.

Kevin and I are hikers and enjoy Lake Sonoma trails, appreciating the pleasant weather of Sonoma County, especially the lack of humidity!

The post A Conversation with the Healthcare Foundation’s new Board Chair, Mona Hanes appeared first on Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County.

We at the Healthcare Foundation recognize that this action puts at risk critical support to many of the agencies, clinics and organizations that serve the health and wellbeing of our northern Sonoma County communities with direct services that are crucial to some of the most vulnerable among us.

The Healthcare Foundation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our local nonprofits, who are the backbone of our region’s system of care, in their missions to serve those in need. And we remain fully committed to their support and to the communities they serve in these troubling and uncertain times.

We know that our diverse and dynamic region of northern Sonoma County is a compassionate and resilient community, which has collectively made great strides in ensuring every individual and family has access to the resources and the linguistically and culturally appropriate services they depend on to sustain themselves and their loved ones in health, wellbeing, and dignity.

The Healthcare Foundation is proud to be a part of such a community and to do its part in supporting this effort, guided by our shared values of community, compassion and equity.

We invite you to stand with us in solidarity and support our local community. We have the ability to be part of the solution.

Learn more here: Healthcare Foundation Homepage

In Community,

Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County Board of Directors

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