Lisa Wittke Schaffner, Executive Director of John Jordan Foundation, presented an overview of the development of preventive initiatives in Sonoma County regarding Health and Human Services.
 
Lisa Wittke Schaffner, Executive Director of John Jordan Foundation, presented an overview of the development of preventive initiatives in Sonoma County regarding Health and Human Services.
 
In 2007, the Board of Supervisors felt the need to build a new jail, at a cost of $300 million, to host the increasing number of inmates convicted of crimes within Sonoma County. A forward-looking group of people felt that a better course of action would be to invest in preventive programs that would lead to an overall decrease in the number of people incarcerated. An organization, Health Action, was created to meet that need. This organization focuses on the health of the community. Physical health is just one aspect of the health of the community, the other factors being education and income inequalities. Out of this concept numerous programs have been developed, and are beginning to show significant changes within our society. Some of these include: Community Health Care Improvement, Cradle To Career, Economic Wellness, Early Childhood Education, and An Economic Wellness Initiative.
 
Much of the basis for activities and improving our overall community health comes from a publication, a Portrait of Sonoma County, created by the Sonoma County Department of Health Services in 2014. This is a must read for all people and organizations who are interested in improving the overall lives of all people living in Sonoma County. A copy of the report may be viewed online at http://www.measureofamerica.org/sonoma/.
 
To oversee this broad range of programs, an organization, Upstream Investments, Sonoma County was created. This program helps nonprofits to explore if programs they support are working, and if not offers technical assistance to improve their outcomes. If a program is successful, Upstream Investments helps to "scale up" the project for export to other areas within the community. The portfolio of successful programs is created that can be used by philanthropic organizations find and work with organizations that are within their mission statement
 
Upstream investments has created a Funders Guide designed to help nonprofits and other funding sources evaluate and improve programs in which they have an interest. They believe in investing early, investing wisely, and investing together. They promote a unique combination of governmental and private sector funding for support of the numerous programs within the health action overview.
 
The John Jordan Foundation focuses on local philanthropy to help with early education, improving access to healthcare, and to helping provide economic opportunity for underserved populations so that they may participate more vigorously and vibrantly in the community.
 
More information about Upstream Investments Sonoma County may be found at upstreaminvestments.org. Information about the John Jordan Foundation is available online at JohnJordanfoundation.org.