Fellow
Blue Shield of California Foundation
ADVANCING INNOVATIVE FINANCING TO ACHIEVE HEALTH EQUITY
FOCUS
Residents in Sonoma County, like many communities around the country, have inequitable access to opportunity, which results in disparities in health, education and well-being across place and population. By harnessing the energy of the breadth of diversity in our community, we are challenging the systems that perpetuate these inequities and proposing to build new systems of investment and capital to unlock the unmet potential of our community.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Shift Health Accelerator
Joint Initiative (Bobby Cochran, Jen Lewis-Walden, Matt Tinsley)
Right now, too many communities face unfair odds when it comes to their health, well-being and quality of life. Working alongside community leaders to make positive change is a better approach – and that’s what we do. We hold a values and impact-driven vision where communities and individuals are vested with the power and resources they need to improve their quality of life and achieve their full potential. We live our values that guide our work through shared leadership in partnership with communities. Shift Health Accelerator will simplify access to the money and expertise communities need to increase health, well-being and quality of life. In 2017, a group of community leaders came together to solve a thorny problem. In our years of work, we saw incredible non-profits and leaders striving mightily to solve society’s toughest challenges: from lack of access to healthy food to unsafe and unaffordable housing, from public transit that’s a barrier to keeping a job to neighborhoods with no sidewalks or parks for kids to play. At the same time, we knew dozens of funders who wanted to direct their investments to do good, but who lacked the local knowledge needed to support the organizations doing the best work. We have a plan to help them all do better at doing good. Shift Health Accelerator develops funding and collective organizing tools, expands networks of community leaders, and supports technical assistance – all to facilitate access to resources and expertise.
Click here to watch Jen’s Legacy Project video.