Bridging Distance, Building Connection on the Central Coast
Findings from interviews with safety net providers across Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura counties, gathered between January and May 2026.
A regional report prepared by California Coverage and Health Initiatives (CCHI), funded in part by the California Wellness Foundation.
Who We Heard from
Camarillo Health Care District ↗
CenCal Health ↗
Children Family Resource Services ↗
Community Foundation for Monterey County ↗
Community Health Centers of the Central Coast ↗
County of Monterey Health Department ↗
Family Service Agency ↗
First 5 Santa Cruz County ↗
Health Projects Center ↗
Montage Health ↗
Salinas Valley Health ↗
San Benito Health Foundation ↗
San Luis Obispo Public Health Agency, Local Oral Health Program ↗
San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health ↗
SLO Healthcare Workforce Partnership ↗
United Way of Monterey County ↗
Ventura County Community Information Exchange ↗
Ventura County Public Health ↗
Westminster Free Clinic ↗
Regional
Priorities
Community trust, voice, and power as the precondition for everything else.
Flexible, collaborative funding that rewards partnership.
Adaptable, trusted data and referral technology built on existing relationships.
Backbone coalition support for effective, sustainable collaboration.
California Health Interconnectivity Initiative · Central Coast
Bright spots: where coordination is already working
Across Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura counties, safety net providers are finding ways to align systems, share data, and earn community trust. Filter by category, or click any model to read more.
17 models
Aligning systems
▾
Camarillo Health Care District Family Caregiver Program
Ventura County's only special healthcare district operates a Caregiver Center, Adult Day Center, and annual Family Caregiver Symposium addressing the often-invisible needs of care partners.
Aligning systems
▾
CenCal Health Member Navigation Hub and Executive Policy Committee
In response to HR1, CenCal Health (serving SLO and Santa Barbara) stood up two new coordinating structures aligning CBOs, county social services, hospital and clinic CEOs, and county leadership to prevent administrative disenrollments and plan for uninsured growth. Shows how regional health plans can act as conveners and data partners.
Aligning systems
▾
Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County (C2C)
A parent-led collective connecting families, schools, and health and social service providers around shared goals for children's education and well-being. Shifts the focus from individual programs to population-level outcomes.
Aligning systems
▾
Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative
A pooled Community Health Needs Assessment co-funded by local hospitals and convened by United Way, replacing expensive duplicative assessments that occur every three years. A similar model is now used in Ventura County.
Aligning systems
▾
Monterey County Health in All Policies Approach
The Monterey County Health Department has worked with transportation and public works to bring in sidewalk and walkability funding and embed health language in general plans, an approach that could be shared across the region's counties.
Data infrastructure
▾
211 Monterey County
A real-time service navigation backbone that connects residents to available resources across the region. Beyond direct referrals, it functions as shared infrastructure that improves visibility into community needs.
Data infrastructure
▾
Ventura County Community Information Exchange (CIE)
Built a working Salesforce-based closed-loop referral system and is actively scaling county-to-county with cohorts of partner organizations. Offers a path forward for other counties exploring closed-loop referral systems.
On-the-ground coordination
▾
Joint Promotores and CHW Training Partnership
A shared-cost training model where Carpinteria Children's Contact provides meals and space, Children Family Resource Services provides facilitators, and CenCal Health provides funding. Shows how small organizations can pool resources without anyone shouldering full cost.
On-the-ground coordination
▾
Santa Barbara County CBO Mental Health Coalition
A coalition of mental health contractors that pooled funding for a shared consultant and brought in expert speakers to help member organizations adapt their service models amid major funding and policy disruptions.
On-the-ground coordination
▾
County of San Luis Obispo Behavioral Health Farmworker Outreach
Hosts a Spanish-language radio hour and partners with agencies and local restaurants to provide meals for farmworkers while sharing health information on topics like overdose prevention. A model worth replicating across counties with significant farmworker populations.
On-the-ground coordination
▾
Mobile Service Delivery Across the Central Coast
Many organizations across the region operate mobile services reaching rural and farmworker areas. Coordinating or sharing mobile infrastructure across counties could extend reach and reduce duplication.
Trust and relevance
▾
Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program
Physicians licensed in Mexico practice at community health centers in San Benito and a few other California counties, serving Latino and farmworker populations who share their language and culture.
Trust and relevance
▾
Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHCCC)
An FQHC system across SLO and Santa Barbara counties reaching immigrant, farmworker, and rural patients through mobile clinics and partnerships with community spaces. Uses its scale to advocate for serving populations other providers turn away.
Trust and relevance
▾
Westminster Free Clinic Community-Embedded Care Model
Weekly pop-up clinics at churches across three Ventura County communities, reaching 700+ families per week with free primary care, food, mental health counseling, and family programming.
Trust and relevance
▾
Pajaro Community Grants
A participatory grantmaking program where community residents, not institutional reviewers, select grant recipients, consistently surfacing organizations deeply connected to community but often overlooked by traditional philanthropy.
Economic and health
▾
Double Up Food Bucks Monterey County
Doubles the value of CalFresh benefits on California-grown produce at participating grocery stores, integrating food access, local agriculture, and economic support.
Economic and health
▾
Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative (SIEDI)
A cross-sector effort aligning economic development, community priorities, and institutional partners to advance inclusive growth in Salinas, connecting economic and health outcomes at the local level.