By linking healthcare systems with community-based organizations, we can achieve better individual health outcomes, lower costs and improve population health.

Neighborhood Networks, an initiative of the San Diego Wellness Collaborative, has achieved financial sustainability since our initial pilot grant in 2019. Neighborhood Networks serves as a “hub” that connects healthcare and community-based organizations. They contract with partner organizations and provide a variety of management services, including specialized training for Neighborhood Navigators (CHWs/Promotores de salud). Read more.

There are several exciting opportunities on the horizon in California to change how care is delivered, including a five-year transformation within the Medi-Cal program (known as CalAIM). CalAIM is designed to advance equitable, coordinated and person-centered approaches to care delivery, along side of a new Medi-Cal benefit to reimburse for services provided by Community Health Workers (CHWs). To scale and sustain this critically important CHW workforce here in San Diego, we are partnering with the California Health Care Foundation to co-fund a cohort of local community-based organizations to support their ability and efforts to engage with managed care plans in the region to implement this new CHW benefit.