Rebuilding
a Healthy
North Bay
$5.67M
in grants dedicated to
disaster-recovery efforts
in Sonoma and Napa counties
24K
patients have a permanent
medical home through the
rebuilding of the Vista clinic
In August 2019, nearly 2 years after the October 2017 Tubbs Fire devastated Sonoma County and destroyed the largest campus of Santa Rosa Community Health, dozens of community members gathered to celebrate the clinic’s joyful reopening.
Santa Rosa Community Health is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Sonoma County, and its rebuilt Vista clinic serves more than 300 patients a day.
“About 90 percent of our patients live below the federal poverty level, and most are dealing with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and trauma in their lives,” said Naomi Fuchs, CEO of Santa Rosa Community Health. “It’s been so heartwarming to reopen this clinic for our patients; it’s their medical home, and it’s beautiful.”
Kaiser Permanente invested in the rebuilding of the Vista clinic as part of $5.67 million in grants made in 2019 dedicated to disaster-recovery efforts in Sonoma and Napa counties.
The area has been hard hit. While the Tubbs Fire destroyed 5,300 homes in 2017, flooding in the area in February 2019 affected another 1,700 homes, followed by the Kincade Fire in October 2019, which destroyed an additional 174 homes.
The disasters exposed a stark need for an increase in affordable housing, mental health services, and economic support in the North Bay. According to Catholic Charities of Sonoma County, more than 21,000 additional individuals are on the brink of homelessness in Sonoma County, and there’s been a nearly 20 percent rise in homeless youth.
Offering Resources and Expertise
Since 2017, Kaiser Permanente has committed nearly $14 million to 40 community-based organizations to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in the North Bay. We prioritize funding to areas where our resources and expertise intersect with community need.
Kaiser Permanente investments in North Bay recovery efforts since 2017
Understanding that vulnerable communities fare worse after natural disasters then those with greater resources, several of Kaiser Permanente’s grants in the North Bay are specifically targeted to address the needs of minority communities and to include their perspective in rebuilding efforts. There is still much work to be done, but working together with local leaders and engaging residents at the neighborhood level, Kaiser Permanente is helping the North Bay to rebuild a more equitable and healthy community for all.
