ACH Profile: Contra Costa Together
Contra Costa County, nestled between the San Francisco Bay and the Delta, is California in microcosm. With more than 1.1 million residents, the county features vibrant waterfronts, rural farmland, bustling urban centers and historic small towns. Across this landscape are pockets of poverty—often concentrated in communities of color—shaped by decades of disinvestment and systemic racism.
The county is often studied by pollsters for its remarkable economic, geographic, and political diversity. It is also one of the few counties in California that operates both its own public health system and a County-run health plan that serves the safety net, county workers, and Medi-Cal recipients. Despite an integrated structure, there are ample opportunities for more coordination and deep community engagement.
That vision is now taking shape through the Contra Costa Accountable Community for Health (CC-ACH), a countywide initiative anchored by the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation (CCRHF). Formed by a diverse group of community-based organizations, resident leaders, and public agencies, the CC-ACH is focused on building a future where everyone belongs—and where no one’s health is determined by race, income, zip code, or immigration status.
“Moving forward, the Contra Costa ACH Stewardship Team is reimagining thriving together,” said Duffy Newman, Executive Director of Programs at CCRHF. “By working together to build a future where we all belong, we’re ensuring everyone can thrive, no matter who or where they are. No exceptions.”
Core partners in the CC-ACH Stewardship Team include Contra Costa Health and the newly established County Office of Racial Equity & Social Justice (ORESJ), working in alignment with residents to unite in collective power, respond to present challenges, and reimagine the future.
“Throughout our country, our most vulnerable communities are feeling threatened by the systems meant to protect their well-being, and increasingly isolated from the people around them. We have a powerful opportunity to come together and identify meaningful ways to be in conversation and support one another in this particular moment, while simultaneously strengthening the vital conditions necessary for long-term health, well-being and resilience. How we each respond today will lay the foundation for a thriving future for all of us.”
- Kendra Carr and Peter Kim Co-Directors, Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice
From Collaboration to Transformation
Contra Costa County has a history of cross-sector collaboration. For decades, organizations have worked together to improve access to health care, affordable housing, employment, and other essentials for health and well-being. Despite these partnerships, communities of color—as well as others who are targeted due to their gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, or other marginalized identities—have continued to face systemic barriers from the very institutions meant to serve them.
In response, the CC-ACH Stewardship Team chose not to launch another project or coalition, but to go deeper—rethinking how to work together and inviting others to join in imagining and co-creating a better future for all. Guided by shared values and a commitment to healing across differences, the team hosted the Contra Costa Together Kick-Off Summit in April 2025.
The day-long event brought together more than 150 stakeholders: residents, community-based organizations, county systems, educators, youth, arts and faith-based orgs, as well as local foundations and philanthropists. Participants engaged in conversations about shared stewardship—opening space for dialogue across life experiences, welcoming perspectives outside their usual circles, and practicing cultural humility through open, curious exchange.
“For far too long, we’ve had numerous coalitions and multi-sector groups, yet trust and meaningful connection has often been lacking. It’s time to go beyond surface-level partnerships and build deeper, more effective ways to collaborate. The Summit presented a pivotal opportunity to unite our efforts and move forward with purpose.”
- Philip H Arnold Jr Certified Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist and AAUP Liaison & Veteran Outreach Coordinator, NAMI Contra Costa
Building What Comes Next
In the years ahead, CC-ACH aims to expand its stewardship table and refine its systems-change strategy to further align efforts and attract new resources for long-term sustainability and impact.
“The Stewardship team is motivated to continue reimagining how we can connect and coordinate across regions, communities, systems and organizations,” Newman continued, “creating a network of networks.”
“Now, more than ever, it is imperative that our community members, agencies, and organizations unite with a shared purpose. This is a pivotal moment to collaborate, leverage our strengths, and work tirelessly toward the common good. Our collective action today will shape a better future for all, as we all have the right to exist as our whole selves within all corners of Contra Costa County and beyond. ¡La Lucha Sigue!”
- Marivel Mendoza Matheu, Hijas del Campo (she/her/ella) Co-Founder & Executive Director, Hijas del Campo