San Diego Accountable Community for Health

Building a Countywide Wellness System

Backboned by the San Diego Wellness Collaborative, the San Diego Accountable Community for Health (SDACH) launched in 2016 as part of CACHI’s founding cohort with a broad mission: to build a “wellness system” that ensures individuals, families, and communities have everything they need for a lifetime of health. With CACHI’s support, SDACH built the foundation: cross-sector governance through a formal Stewardship Group, engagement with more than 100 stakeholders, shared equity analysis, and the relationships to improve community health—creating lasting infrastructure that serves San Diego County every day.

Achievements

• Tackling the Root Causes of Chronic Disease: Drawing on a deep understanding of the root causes of multiple health and social issues, SDACH brought partners together to address the root causes of cardiovascular disease—moving strategies that span the spectrum from prevention to intervention.

• Leading Locally on ACEs: Well-positioned by its infrastructure, SDACH led when California prioritized Adverse Childhood Experiences—securing an ACEs Aware grant in 2020, convening partners around trauma-informed network-of-care strategies, and authoring a statewide practice guide on how ACHs can address ACEs.

• Responding in Times of Crisis: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, SDACH’s collaborative infrastructure enabled it to bring together multi-sector partners quickly, mobilizing relationships across healthcare, government, and community-based organizations to meet urgent needs across San Diego County.

• Launching a Community Care Hub: Incubated at SDACH and launched in 2019, Neighborhood Networks has grown into a fully operational Medi-Cal Community Care Hub with more than 120 community-connected care managers and housing navigators—improving care, creating economic opportunity, and bringing CBOs into healthcare financing.

• Advancing Refugee Housing Security: Through BUILD Health initiative funding, SDACH partnered with the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition and refugee-serving CBOs to improve housing security among refugee communities by developing policy recommendations and supporting housing navigation and funding.

• Protecting Medi-Cal & CalFresh Enrollment: As recent state and federal policy changes threaten coverage, SDACH is mobilizing its partner network to protect enrollment in Medi-Cal and CalFresh—coordinating cross-sector outreach, connecting residents to enrollment support, and ensuring families maintain access to the care and nutrition benefits they depend on.

• Sustaining the Wellness System: Sustained by Neighborhood Networks revenue and guided by an Equity Plan for advancing community engagement, SDACH has the resources and the roadmap to carry its mission forward.

SDACH’s impact on systems transformation

With CACHI’s support, SDACH has built lasting infrastructure that enables cross-sector partners across San Diego County to act as one, responding quickly to safeguard the people who need it most.

Learn more at sdwellnesscollaborative.org.