March 2026 Issue
Welcome to our March 2026 CACHI Highlights Bulletin
The Lunar New Year was recently celebrated, which is an important time for renewal and hope and is celebrated by many people of Asian descent around the world. This year is the Year of the Horse. And, not just any horse - the Fire Horse!
The symbolism of the Fire Horse offers a powerful reflection for our work across the ACH Network. It represents fierceness, determination, transformation, and collective movement forward - qualities that resonate deeply with the moment we find ourselves in as a network. Like the horse, which is strongest when running with a herd, ACHs across California continue to move forward together: building relationships, strengthening local partnerships, and advancing shared objectives that support healthier and more equitable communities.
As we enter this new year, we carry forward that same spirit of momentum, resilience, and collaboration harnessing our collective power to shape the future of community health and systems change across the state. We’re excited to tackle the upcoming year in partnership with you all with the strength and decisive action embodied by the Year of the Fire Horse. 🐎🎉
Thank you for reading the Bulletin! If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to Tina (tina@cachi.org) or Rea (rea@cachi.org).
In This Issue:
Network Mapping: Request for More Information (Survey)
As was highlighted and discussed as a need by ACHs at the February Quarterly webinar, we are creating a network map to better understand ACH’s existing advocacy and policy assets as part of our efforts to build and activate the ACH Network. This information will help us better understand where ACHs are already engaged in advocacy conversations and where the Network can be most effective in advancing state policies and practices that support our shared goals.
To gather more information, we invite you to take a few minutes to complete a short survey about your ACH’s participation in coalitions, networks, and partnerships related to issue areas important to ACHs. We are particularly interested in understanding:
Your ACH’s involvement in statewide or regional coalitions and networks
Connections or relationships with state agencies
Partnerships with organizations working on related policy or advocacy efforts
Survey link: https://forms.gle/7AHRBSQFYUA4nwAk6
Deadline to respond:Friday, April 3. Individuals that complete the survey by this date will be entered into a drawing for a $20 gift card. We will select five winners!
We will share highlights from the network map at the CACHI Network Meeting in April. Thank you in advance for contributing to this effort.
Questions? Reach out to Tina at tina@cachi.org.
Learnings from Recent Peer Learning Circles & Looking Ahead
The kick-off meetings for the four Peer Learning Circles recently wrapped up. As a reminder, Peer Learning Circles are small, facilitated discussion groups led by ACHs for ACHs to share strategies, information, and lessons learned on topics of interest. Each circle focuses on shared challenges, goals, or opportunities, and ACH participants are welcome to join the Circles most relevant to their work.
A public resource folder with recordings and notes from each Peer Learning Circle can be found here.
Below are key themes and takeaways from the recent discussions. We also included information on when each circle will meet next, along with Zoom registration links. Please mark your calendar and register - we hope to see you at the next sessions!
Community Rapid Response
Thursday May 7th, 12-1pm
https://communitypartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/B0rYdi4hT9Slz2PhAiE0Ng
This Peer Learning Circle will convene ACH’s across our CACHI Network to share stories, tools, resources, and information related to rapid response networks in our communities.
Medi-Cal and CalAIM 101
Thursday May 14th, 12:30-1:30pm
https://communitypartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/OrZPMy7sS56Me8k5aWBSVA
The CalAIM & Medi-Cal Peer Learning Circle is a collaborative forum to share knowledge, problem-solve, and learn from one another as CalAIM and Medi-Cal continue to evolve.
Workforce Development
Thursday April 16th, 12-1pm
https://communitypartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/EKWqy8lASQG-qEYRVzzhZQ
This Peer Learning Circle will convene ACHs to share strategies, challenges, and innovations related to workforce development.
Youth Wellbeing
Wednesday April 8th, 12-1pm
https://communitypartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/xYk49uuvTbW2eDEGY9s4ow
This Peer Learning Circle empowers practitioners to master the complexities of holistic youth well-being (ages 10–25). Moving beyond silos, we will explore the vital intersections of physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, and economic development.
Top 5 Themes from Recent Peer Learning Circles
1. Policy Changes are Creating Uncertainty and Urgent Communication Needs
Recent federal and state policy shifts—particularly HR1 and upcoming Medi-Cal changes—are generating widespread concern among community members and service providers which is raising a lot of questions. ACHs discussed the urgent need for clear, accessible communication to help residents understand changes to eligibility, redeterminations, and other requirements while supporting partners navigating increased administrative demands.
2. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are Essential but Need Greater Support
Across discussions, CHWs emerged as critical trusted messengers who help residents navigate health and social systems. At the same time, ACHs noted ongoing challenges such as unclear funding streams, workforce shortages, certification barriers, and slow reimbursement processes that strain community-based organizations and limit their ability to expand this workforce.
3. Workforce Development Requires New Models and Partnerships
ACHs are exploring creative strategies to strengthen local workforce pipelines, particularly in regions experiencing talent shortages like in rural areas of the state. Examples include partnerships with community colleges, competency-based training programs with digital credentials, and innovative models such as CHW cooperatives that create economic opportunities while expanding community health capacity.
4. Strengthening Community Resilience and Rapid Response Capacity
Participants emphasized the importance of building proactive community safety nets in response to emerging challenges. Strategies discussed included improving coordinated outreach, supporting grassroots organizations with flexible funding, and developing community-led support networks that can respond quickly to changing community needs.
5. Investing in Youth Leadership and Wellbeing
ACHs highlighted the importance of engaging young people as leaders and partners in community health efforts. Key priorities include compensating youth for their contributions, creating leadership and workforce pathways, addressing youth mental health and prevention needs, and integrating youth voices into community decision-making structures.
Questions on the Peer Learning Circles? Reach out to Tina at tina@cachi.org.
Updates & Reminders: 2026 Network Meeting (April 28-30th in Los Angeles)
Planning for the next Network Meeting in April is well underway. As a reminder, this year’s Network Meeting will take place on April 28 - 30th at the Center for Healthy Communities at The California Endowment in Los Angeles.
Tues. April 28th: Optional Networking Dinner, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Wed. April 29th: Day 1 Program & Celebration Dinner, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Thurs. April 30th: Day 2 Program, 8:00 - 3:00 pm
Thank you to those of you who registered for the meeting. As a reminder, each ACH can send up to five of their members to the meeting, and CACHI can cover the travel costs of these attendees, including flights and hotel accommodations. Please submit your requests for flight and hotel accommodations no later than March 24, 2026. Requests or changes received after this date cannot be guaranteed.
Questions? Please reach out to LaTeesha at lateesha@cachi.org.
Updates on ACH Network Building Advisory Group
Thank you to everyone who submitted interest forms to join the ACH Network Building Advisory Group. We received a strong level of interest and are grateful to all who expressed willingness to support this work.
We are pleased to introduce the four members of the Advisory Group:
Telina Barrientos (East San Jose PEACE Partnership)
Sandra Espadas (One San Pedro)
Joy Garcia (Shasta Health Assessment and Redesign Collaborative)
Daniel Wherley (Ventura County)
The purpose of the Advisory Group is to advise on the start-up priorities and activities of the ACH Network during its first year of development.
Historically, the ACH Network has functioned primarily as a learning and resource-sharing network. After hearing from many of you, the Network is intentionally expanding its activities to support coordinated advocacy around shared priorities at the state level. The Advisory Group will help guide this transition and ensure the Network’s early direction is strategic, inclusive, and impactful.
Advisory Group members were selected based on their skills, lived and professional experience, and geographic representation across California. Together, they bring deep expertise in network and coalition building, facilitation, multi-sector collaboration, community engagement, and policy and systems change.
The Advisory Group will:
Advise on the strategic priorities and core activities of the ACH Network during its initial development phase.
Help define what first-year success looks like for the Network and identify meaningful ways to measure progress.
Help design the agenda for Day 2 (April 30) of the upcoming CACHI Network Meeting, which will focus on ACH Network development.
The Advisory Group has started meeting and will continue to meet through the summer months. Thank you so much to our Advisory Group and all that they are contributing.
Questions? Reach out to Tina at tina@cachi.org.
CACHI ACH Network Calendar
We’re excited to share that the ACH Network Calendar is now available online. The calendar is your one-stop shop for information about upcoming quarterly webinars, Peer Learning Circles, and other learning events happening across the Network, and we will continue to update it regularly.
We also invite ACHs to share their upcoming meetings, events, or webinars that may be of interest to the broader Network.
If you would like to include an event on the calendar, please send the details to Jacky at jacky@cachi.org.
Program Reminders & Useful Links
In Closing
As always, please reach out to the CACHI Team if you have any questions or concerns. We hope your year is off to a great start!