Request for Proposal:

In 2022, 33% of births in Sonoma County were paid for by Medi-Cal through MCP Partnership HealthPlan (1,451 of 4,438.) Data demonstrates the need to address significant child-level and perinatal equity measures for these families. In Sonoma County between 2018 and 2020, infant mortality rates were nearly 60% higher for Partnership births than for those covered by private insurance, and 50% higher for Hispanic infants compared to white infants. Black infants experienced low birth weight 72% more often than white infants. In 2022, only 44% of Partnership-covered children received all APA-recommended vaccinations by age 2. (Learn More)

To improve these measures and strengthen Sonoma County families most in need of resources to achieve birth equity, the overarching First 5 Sonoma County & SC|SU UCAAN ACEs Aware Initiative Project will address the following barriers to increasing delivery of ECM and CHW services:

• Lack of relational network connecting family and child-serving organizations/providers including Health Centers, CBOs, MCPs, Education Partners, Government Partners, Tribal organizations, and community leaders

• Insufficient CHW network capacity

• Lack of clear path or strategy to support financial sustainability for ECM/CHW services with CalAIM reimbursement only covering a portion of costs

• Insufficient access to community information exchange infrastructure, such as Sonoma Connect|Sonoma Unidos’ Resource Connection Network (technology solution that supports community resource navigation, tracks closed loop referrals among project partners, and connects technology platforms across sectors)