City Council
Samantha Rodriguez
Mayor
Susan Hollingsworth Adams
Vice Mayor
Jackie Elward
Gerard Giudice
Emily Sanborn
Councilmembers
Marcela Piedra
City Manager
Don Schwartz
Assistant City Manager
Michelle Marchetta Kenyon
City Attorney
Sergio Rudin
Assistant City Attorney
Cindy Bagley
Director of Community Services
Jamie Cannon
Director of Human Resources
Vanessa Garrett
Director of Public Works
Sylvia Lopez Cuevas
City Clerk
Tim Mattos
Public Safety Director
Mary Grace Pawson
Director of
Development Services
Leo Tacata
Finance Director
January 12, 2023
Andrea Garfia
Kaiser Permanente
Via e-mail: [email protected]
Dear Andrea,
We are writing regarding the potential for a Health and Human Services Hub in Rohnert Park. We very much appreciate your willingness to consider this idea as a candidate for funding to address the Community Health Needs Assessment. We believe that the Hub matches several of the criteria identified for funding, including:
A. Geographic and racial/ethnic disparities - The rationale for the Hub is that Rohnert Park (and Cotati) are overlooked when it comes to the availability of health and human services. We call ourselves 'fly-over territory' because services tend to be offered in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, along with more out-lying areas. For example, we were the last city in Sonoma County to have a health center located here, which was the 35th such center in the County. The County is focusing its expansion of services to Sonoma, Guerneville, and Cloverdale. The areas of high need here are also the most heavily Latinx parts of our community.
8. Severity and magnitude of need: Rohnert Park has a high level of unmet needs, as illustrated by the Portrait of Sonoma. The 2021 update of the Portrait identifies three census tracts in Rohnert Park among the 18 in the County with the highest needs. Downtown Cotati is also an area of need, though the Portrait does not provide a Human Development Index score for that area.
C. Kaiser's ability to make an impact and improve health equity: The Hub represents a significant opportunity for Kaiser to make a meaningful impact. The Hub will make a range of services available to thousands of low-income residents who typically need to travel at least 90 minutes by public transportation to reach services that are much more readily available to most County residents.
D. Potential to collaborate with community partners: By its nature the Hub is a collaboration among a variety of non-profits, County government agencies, and the City.
One obstacle we face is that we lack a comprehensive non-profit such as those elsewhere in the County, such as Community Action Partnership, West County Community Services, La Luz, Corazon Healdsburg. Petaluma People Services offers limited services here and has long had an interest in doing more.
The Health and Human Services Hub is intended to fill that gap. The idea is that "if we build it, they will come" - meaning that if the City provides and equips a facility, the County and non-profits would be willing to locate their services here.
130 Avram Avenue ♦ Rohnert Park CA♦ 94928 ♦ (707) 588-2226 ♦ Fax (707) 794-9248 www.rpcity.org