April 2026 Issue
Welcome to our April 2026 CACHI Highlights Bulletin!
Next week, many of us will gather in person in Los Angeles to connect, reflect, learn from one another, and celebrate all that we've accomplished together and in our respective communities across the state. This meeting also carries an additional special meaning: it marks the 10th anniversary of CACHI and ACHs in California — a decade of investing in building community infrastructure for equity and health.
It's also a moment for us to look forward together. The current and future challenges are real and urgent, but so is the strength of this network. Coming together in person is a chance to renew our shared purpose, deepen our relationships, and build the collective power we'll need to meet this moment with clarity and resolve.
We can't wait to be in community with you.
Thank you for reading the Bulletin! If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to Tina (tina@cachi.org).
In This Issue:
Save the Date | Next Quarterly Virtual Learning and Network Webinar (May 20, 10-12pm)
Save the date for our next Quarterly Virtual Learning and Network Webinar: Wednesday, May 20th, 10:00 - 12:00 PM. This session will build on momentum from the in-person Network Meeting and launch a new learning series focused on data, indicators, and measurement.
The webinar will have two main segments:
Following up on network building and activation. Day 2 of the in-person Network Meeting on April 30th will focus on building and activating the ACH Network. The May webinar gives us a chance to recap that conversation, share what emerged, and continue building on our collective progress.
Kicking off our data, indicators, and measurement learning series. Many of you named data, indicators, and measurement as a priority learning topic, and we're excited to launch a learning series dedicated to it. The May 20th session will recap what ACHs have previously learned about data and measurement, feature ACHs sharing how they're approaching this work in practice, and close with an overview of additional learning opportunities and technical assistance that will be available to you.
The agenda and Zoom registration link will be shared as we get closer to the date. In the meantime, please hold the time on your calendar.
Ad Hoc Webinar | Strategy and Funding Discussion: Regional Planning to Address Threats to Medi-Cal Enrollment (May 6, 2-3pm)
Wednesday, May 6, 2:00–3:00 PM, Register on Zoom
Federal policy changes under HR1 are projected to cause widespread loss of Medi-Cal and CalFresh benefits across California. The state estimates that 1.4 million people will lose Medi-Cal coverage in early 2027 — and the actual number could be significantly higher. The impact on individuals, families, and the health and community organizations that serve them would be severe.
But these losses are not inevitable. Most affected residents will remain eligible; they simply won't complete redetermination or work requirement paperwork fully and on time. State, county, and managed-care organizations are mobilizing in response — but one critical piece is largely missing from their strategies: local and regional collaborative planning that brings together the people who understand local systems and communities. This is exactly the kind of work ACHs are built for.
In this session, we'll open with brief context-setting from Jeremy Cantor, then hear from Kitty Bailey and Iliana Soto of the San Diego ACH, who are leading local planning efforts to prevent benefit loss among county residents — and have secured local funding to support that work. We'll close with an open discussion on how other ACHs are taking action or can get involved.
Please join this important discussion!
Annual ACH Stakeholder Survey | Responses Due May 1
A quick reminder that the DVC evaluation team is in the home stretch of fielding the final annual ACH stakeholder survey, and we'd love to hear from you by May 1.
Your participation really does make a difference. Responses from you and your ACH partners help us capture the progress, achievements, and impact your ACH has made this year — and that story gets woven into the final evaluation reports shared with the CACHI network, funders, and other partners. Each ACH will also receive a site-specific summary of its survey findings, which you're welcome to use in your own efforts to document and communicate your impact.
And as a thank-you for your time, every respondent will receive a $20 gift card.
For survey links and more information, please check recent emails from Johnice Williams (johnice@desertvistaconsulting.com) — and don't hesitate to reach out to the DVC team with any questions. We really appreciate your partnership in this work.
Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Funding Opportunities: What ACHs Should Know
CACHI recently convened ACH leaders from the Ventura County and Marin 9 to 25 ACHs with California California Departments of Public Health’s (CDPH) Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) team to explore how ACHs can align with forthcoming Behavioral Health Services Act funding opportunities. We're sharing notes and takeaways from that conversation with the broader ACH Network in case this is of interest to others.
Three funding streams are taking shape. CDPH's Population-Based Prevention Program Final Plan outlines statewide initiatives complemented by local funding. CDPH's near-term priorities include: 1) Community-Defined Evidence-Based Practices (for CBOs and tribes), 2) dedicated tribal grants, and 3) local health jurisdiction (LHJ) funding. Additional opportunities around trusted messengers, regional implementation, and regional policy development are still being designed, with training and TA funded centrally.
LHJ funding is the clearest near-term opportunity for ACHs. LHJs will be required to host convenings with a defined set of stakeholders (county behavioral health, child/youth-serving agencies, tribes, funded CBOs, area agencies on aging, veteran services, and regional centers), update or develop a data-driven local suicide plan, and integrate this work into their CHA/CHIP by 2028–2029. Importantly, CDPH emphasized that LHJs have flexibility to use existing coalitions and backbone partners — including ACHs — to meet these requirements. The goal is strategic gap-filling, not duplicative convenings.
Co-design is driving the timeline. LHJ funding is targeted to flow around July 1, 2026. CBO and tribal RFPs are expected to follow in summer 2026. Regional funding opportunities will come later, as CDPH wants community input to shape how regions and priorities are defined before releasing RFPs.
Key themes from the discussion:
ACHs are natural backbone partners for LHJ convening work where relationships and CHIP infrastructure already exist.
CDPH is open to exploring how existing structures like CACHI's Community Wellness Funds could serve as receptacles for pooled, locally-directed BHSA dollars.
Meaningful engagement should go beyond box-checking, and CDPH is investing in TA to support authentic partnership-building.
The local suicide plan requirement is about data-driven approach, not format; some counties already use their CHIP as their suicide plan.
What ACHs can do now:
Start conversations with your LHJ about how your existing ACH and CHIP processes can integrate BHSA requirements.
Watch for upcoming CDPH statewide webinars on community engagement. CACHI will help promote them across the network.
Please reach out to Tina with any questions.
Peer Learning Circles | April Takeaways & Upcoming Circles in May
April brought two rich Peer Learning Circle conversations across the network on Youth Wellbeing (April 8th) and Workforce Development (April 16th). Below, we're sharing a summary of those conversations, highlighting in-person meet-up opportunities at next week's CACHI Network Meeting, and previewing two additional Circles happening virtually in May. Read on for details.
Recordings, slides, and notes from all Peer Learning Circles are available in the public resource folder here. As a reminder, the four Peer Learning Circle topics are:
Community rapid response
Medi-Cal/ Cal-AIM
Workforce development
Youth wellbeing
Peer Learning Circle Meet-Up Opportunities at the CACHI Network Meeting
On Day 1 of the meeting on Wednesday, April 29th, participants can meet up with others in Peer Learning Circles during lunch (12:00–12:30 PM). These are optional, informal gatherings, and everyone is welcome. Please check the Network Meeting Program for details on meeting room locations for each.
Additional Peer Learning Circles in May
Community Rapid Response
Thursday, May 7th, 12-1pm
https://communitypartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/B0rYdi4hT9Slz2PhAiE0Ng
Medi-Cal/Cal-AIM
Thursday, May 14th, 12:30-1:30pm
https://communitypartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/OrZPMy7sS56Me8k5aWBSVA
April Recap: Youth Wellbeing & Workforce Development
Wins worth celebrating
Mission Promise Neighborhood launched a 9th-grade student success coaching pilot.
Redwood City / North Fair Oaks kicked off its third summer youth employment program, with new toolkits in development.
SC HEALs! opened a community hub at a local park previously known for gang activity.
Marin 9 to 25 secured Office of Education funding for a youth-led LGBTQ+ Queer Prom and a body positivity peer-training program.
East San Jose youth are leading the rebuild of a burned-down community center, with county and city commitments in hand.
Every one of these wins was made possible by years of patient relationship-building. ACHs also surfaced a shared challenge: wellness and public health work is too often treated as a "cherry on top", first to be cut when budgets tighten.
A workforce moment and a model to learn from
California recently received $233M from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. RFPs are expected soon with a quick turnaround timeline, and the funding priorities — pipeline development, retention, CHWs, cross-sector integration — align almost perfectly with what ACHs already lead. Learn more here.
Jacky Franco-Silva also shared about Somos Mayfair's promotora pipeline where community members are recruited, trained at the Universidad Popular de Mayfair (with childcare and meals provided), and connected to jobs. It's a self-sustaining pipeline from community member to economic opportunity — and a reminder that the employment programs we build today are the workforce pipelines of tomorrow.