COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Health Department

DATE:

April 5, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

April 18, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Four-Fifths

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Charlene A. Silva, Director, Health Department

Srija Srinivasan, Director, Health Policy, Planning & Promotion

SUBJECT:

Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) for $10,000 from Philanthropic Ventures Foundation

RECOMMENDATION:

1. Adopt a Resolution to accept $10,000 in grant funding from the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation.

2. Approve an ATR for funding from the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation in the amount of $10,000.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Ensuring basic health and safety for all.

Goal(s): Goal 6: Children grow up healthy in safe and supportive homes and neighborhoods. Goal 8: Help vulnerable people – the aged, disabled, mentally ill, at-risk youth and others – achieve a better quality of life.

Performance Measure(s):

Measure

FY 2004-05
Actual

FY 2005-06
Projected

Percent of task force and strategic initiative partners satisfied with Health Policy and Planning work

90%

90%

Percent of technical assistance recipients satisfied with Health Policy and Planning work

90%

90%

BACKGROUND:

In May 2004, under the leadership of Supervisor Rose Jacobs-Gibson, the San Mateo County Health Department and community members convened the first Healthy Communities Summit to focus on health disparities. The Summit identified specific health disparities and developed a plan for reducing them. Participants prioritized three issues for initial focus: Childhood Obesity Prevention; Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention; and Linguistic Access to Healthcare. The Health Department has taken the lead on all three issues under an initiative named Healthy Communities San Mateo: A Community Health Improvement Initiative to Eliminate Health Disparities. The Health Policy, Planning and Promotion (HPPP) unit was created in 2005 to increase the Health Department’s ability to improve community health by addressing strategic health issues in partnership with the community, including the Healthy Communities San Mateo initiative.

DISCUSSION:

In support of the work being done to address the effects of health disparities in San Mateo County, many community leaders have met regularly since March 2005 as part of Task Forces convened to develop strategic plans aimed at preventing childhood obesity and alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse. The Health Department is also in the process of collecting key information from staff and clients in different regions of the County pertaining to linguistic access to various types of health services. This data will be added to a review of best practices in order to draw conclusions and make recommendations.

In January 2006 the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation awarded a $10,000 discretionary grant to the Health Department to support community needs addressed by the department. Based on a review of priorities, staff recommends allocating these funds toward the department’s health disparities work, both within the three priority areas described above, as well as other opportunities to assist the community in addressing health inequities.

It is anticipated that the funds from this grant will be designated to support the work being done in these areas, including but not limited to: printing and dissemination of the final plans, training opportunities for staff and task force members, support for meetings or other expenses that enable collaboration with community partners, and other unanticipated expenses related to implementing the strategies identified in the task force plans and engaging the community in reducing health disparities.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no Net County Cost associated with the approval of this ATR.