Recognized by White House for Best Practices
Sonoma County has been invited to the White House by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to take part in a meeting this week to discuss best practices in community partnerships, an underlying principle and key strategy throughout St. Joseph Health.
Dory Escobar, director of community benefit, will be representing St. Joseph Health – Sonoma County at the two-day meeting on Feb. 16-17 in Washington, D.C., titled: "Improving Health Outcomes through Faith-Based and Community Partnerships: Best Practices from Health Systems in the Field." The meeting will bring together community benefit leadership from health systems across the country to address how health systems can improve their ongoing outreach. Topics include: community asset mapping, tracking data and evaluation, and how to best invest community benefit dollars to ensure that the funds and services provided are making a difference.
"For the HHS, this convening is a timely and important opportunity to lift up the best practices and innovative models of non-profit hospital systems engaging communities as partners in health," said Mara Vanderslice Kelly, Senior Advisor, Department of Health and Human Services. "We are delighted that Dory Escobar, St. Joseph Health – Sonoma County, will be with us to share her vision of investing in community-based development as a key component to the hospital system’s community benefit work."
"St. Joseph Health – Sonoma County has been recognized as an organization that is partnering with the communities we serve in a big way," Escobar said. "What’s so exciting about this meeting is that it gives us the opportunity to teach others how to better partner with their communities and learn from other best practice models – there’s a lot of potential there."
St. Joseph Health – Sonoma County, through its wide variety of community benefit programs, has been able to greatly enhance its capacity to build partnerships to improve the health and quality of life in the community. St. Joseph Health System’s community partners are broad – from community clinics and the county health department, to schools and homeless services and "this extensive network of relationships has enabled us to work together toward a shared vision of building healthy communities," Escobar said.
"We have been creative and courageous in our work in the community in advocating for an equitable partnership with the people we serve to create a relationship where we are truly partners," Escobar said, "We’re not just funding community programs, we’re doing the grass roots work in the trenches, which builds the trust needed for a successful partnership."
For more information about St. Joseph Health’s community benefit programs, please visit our website or view our annual report at:www.stjoe.org/annualreport.
About St. Joseph Health St. Joseph Health System (SJH) is a $4.7 billion integrated Catholic health care delivery system sponsored by the St. Joseph Health Ministry. We provide a full range of care facilities including: acute care hospitals, home health agencies, hospice care, outpatient services, skilled nursing facilities, community clinics and physician organizations throughout California, Texas and New Mexico. Our 24,000 dedicated employees strive daily to provide perfect care while building the healthiest communities and ensuring every encounter is sacred. SJHS is committed to maintaining a continuum of care that matches the diverse needs of the communities we serve. For more information about SJHS, log onto www.stjhs.org.