ABSTRACT
The story of nonprofit innovations at the Sierra Health Foundation (SHF) over the past three years addresses access to health care and the social determinants of health. As a regionally focused foundation, Sierra Health Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Chet Hewitt, and Board of Directors have developed structural and strategic innovations to expand the geographic reach and impact of the foundation. In the years from 2008 through 2014, the leadership of SHF, driven by an underlying belief in the research on the social determinants of health, discussed and developed a range of public and nonprofit partners, along with diversified funding to address a wide range of health access, equity, and outcomes issues. The leadership at SHF created a new structure to expand their service region, to attract additional public funding, and to develop new partnerships with other grant making organizations. The innovations in this case study offer insight into the Great Recession as a catalyst for change, as opposed to retrenchment, as well as new strategy driving new structures.
