ACCESS Sonoma

In April 2017, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors prioritized strengthening the County’s Safety Net system as a key priority establishing a goal to identify the most vulnerable residents and develop coordinated strategies to improve their well-being, self-sufficiency, and recovery. The Board recognized that we needed a better way to address the needs of our most needy individuals and families. But to do that, we needed the organization, tools and technology to transform how we deliver services to these citizens.

Latest News

County Efforts Make Progress on Homelessness through the ACCESS Initiative
Published on December 7, 2020
In a matter of 10 months, Sonoma County has successfully moved 30 percent of residents into housing from Los Guilicos Village through its ACCESS Initiative multidisciplinary team and its homeless services partner, St. Vincent de Paul.

What Is ACCESS Sonoma?

Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self Sufficiency (ACCESS) Sonoma is a county initiative that focuses on the critical needs of residents who are experiencing physical and mental health challenges, economic uncertainty, housing instability, substance use disorders, criminal justice engagement and social inequity.

ACCESS Sonoma has a four-pronged approach; an Interdepartmental Multidisciplinary Team staffed by representatives from all of the Safety Net Departments, an Integrated Data Hub/Watson Care Manager developed in partnership with IBM, a system of governance led by the County’s Safety Net Collaborative, and partnerships with community based organizations and academic institutions. The result is coordinated care from across our Safety Net Departments for our most vulnerable residents. Care that is informed and supported by an innovative information and care management system, with strategic direction from the Safety Net Collaborative.

ACCESS department heads

Safety Net Collaborative

From Left to Right: Jennifer Traumann (Child Support Services), Jill Ravitch (District Attorney), Barbie Robinson (Health Services and Community Development Commission), Heidi Keith (Sheriff’s Office), Kathleen Pozzi (Public Defender), Karen Fies (Human Services), David Koch (Probation)
Not photographed: Arlene Junior (Courts)

Objectives

The objectives of ACCESS Sonoma are:

To improve the health, well-being, sustained recovery, and self-sufficiency of the County’s most vulnerable residents
To develop and implement a plan to coordinate cross-departmental services and reduce duplication of services
To improve referrals, access and sustained engagement of clients
To analyze the County’s highest service utilizers and develop strategies/policies for improved efficiencies, better utilization, and better outcomes
To develop an integrated data sharing system to support care coordination across departments