History of the Community Health Trust

The Trust is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit public benefit health care foundation created in 1998 to serve the health care needs of Pajaro Valley residents. The Trust is the only health care foundation on the central coast. Its primary service area encompasses all of the zip codes in the city of Watsonville, plus Freedom, Pajaro and Aromas.

The mission of the Trust is to improve the health and quality of life for all people of the greater Pajaro Valley by supporting programs and activities that ensure access to a full array of high quality, culturally competent health care services which promote health, wellness and disease prevention.

With a solid infrastructure and strategic plan in place, the Trust has worked tirelessly since 1998 to expand its role in:

• addressing countywide and regional health planning efforts;
• advocating for resources to support local needs,
• encouraging collaboration in the areas of diabetes, oral health and access to care for the underserved; and
• educating local residents and donors about the mission and goals of the Trust.

The Trust's offices are located on the campus of Watsonville Community Hospital, directly across the main entrance of the hospital. The Trust's mailing address is 85 Nielson Street, Watsonville, CA 95076. (While the Trust conducts business in close proximity to the hospital, the two organizations are completely separate and autonomous. The Trust operates under a clear mandate to exclusively benefit nonprofit organizations and programs providing health care services to Pajaro Valley residents. This mandate specifically excludes the funding of for profit organizations such as Watsonville Community Hospital).

The Trust is governed by an independent 23-member board of directors.  The board was configured to reflect both the gender and ethnic diversity of the community. Board members provide broad experience in health care, finance/investments, fund raising, community service and administration. The Trust is managed by a staff of local professionals.

The assets of the Trust, currently at thirteen million, have been invested to generate earnings to help fund the operations of the Trust, as well as the Trust's grant making and program support. The Trust's strategy to invest rather than spend down the assets is a prudent one, which allows us to provide a continuous source of funding to help meet health care needs in the Pajaro Valley for generations to come. 

As a public charity, the Trust strives to build its assets to continue to meet the community's growing and changing needs in perpetuity. The Trust forms funding partnerships with individual donors, businesses and regional, state and national foundations in order to have the greatest possible impact on the quality of life and health in the Pajaro Valley, now and in the future.

The Trust welcomes gifts (cash, bequests, appreciated securities, insurance and real property) that help to secure a healthy future for the Pajaro Valley and to fund current programs and grantmaking efforts.

Strategic Program Goals

In March 2005, the Trust board reviewed and updated its strategic program areas as follows for the strategic planning period of 2005 – 2010:

Strategic Program Areas

• Oral Health: Prevention and Access
• Diabetes and Contributing Factors
• Promoting Entry and Advancement in the Health Professions
• Health Insurance/Coverage and Education on Using the System

and

Target Populations

• Youth, ages 6-21
• Low-income and underserved individuals
• Farm Workers and their Families

Other Programs & Services of the Trust

In addition to grantmaking and fund raising, the Trust provides:

• In-kind grants for community conference space The Trust is committed to serving the community by encouraging dialogue about important health related issues. To this end, the Trust offers the use of its community conference room to eligible nonprofit health and social service agencies. Preference is given to organizations that use the space for workshops, seminars, retreats and other meetings that focus on improved health and well-being. Guidelines for use of the community conference room can be found on the Trust's web site or by phoning Debbie Ukestad, Executive Assistant, at (831) 761-5639.
• Diabetes Health Center The Trust Board of Directors, recognizing the burgeoning epidemic of diabetes in our community, identified diabetes as one of its major health initiatives. One of the Trust's strategies for addressing the threat of diabetes is the operation of the Diabetes Health Center (DHC), a community based diabetes self-management, education and prevention program, providing direct services to the community.
• Regional Diabetes Collaborative The Regional Diabetes Collaborative (RDC) is a partnership of some 40 members convened by the Trust in 2002 to support, promote and coordinate efforts to prevent and manage diabetes in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties. The RDC works to achieve four primary goals: 1) To increase public awareness and diabetes education in the region; 2) To promote best practices in clinical management to improve treatment effectiveness for diabetes in the region; 3) To improve the availability, accessibility and affordability of treatment services, medicines and equipment for diabetes patients in the region; and 4) To develop and implement a policy advocacy plan designed to address diabetes in the region. The RDC has been instrumental in attracting national recognition for its unique collaborative efforts in diabetes and in helping the Trust and other health care partners secure more than $1 million in federal grant funding