Monterey Wellness Collaborative

Background and Challenge

In 2022, Monterey County in California conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment and ranked mental health as a priority for the county’s health needs. Building from an existing Covid-19 Collaborative facilitated by CBI, the Community Foundation of Monterey County initiated a Community Wellness Collaborative to encourage understanding of treatments for mental illness and recognition that mental health must be cultivated across the lifespan, just like physical fitness. The cooperative needed to draw from a multitude of perspectives to create a full awareness of the impacts of mental health, minimize the stigma surrounding mental illness, and bolster accessibility, prevention, and care. 

Our Approach

CBI worked with the Monterey Wellness Collaborative to design a Community Wellness Framework to cultivate a shared vision and focal areas for joint action. The process aimed to draw from culturally relevant healing practices such as those already in the community, and find ways to integrate access to mental health care with other health and human services settings (such as schools, faith communities, and more). Through Collaborative and Steering Committee meetings facilitated by CBI, a range of mental health professionals, organizations, and agencies joined together to establish ways to advance the community’s commitment to mental health.

Results

The Monterey Wellness Collaborative identified five objectives for its Community Wellness Framework: addressing workforce development and care; developing communications and public education campaigns; overcoming barriers to access and service; creating an effective service map for adults, youth, and families of all incomes and ethnicities; and, finally, providing collective coordination among providers and other engaged organizations. The Collaborative also articulated a shared vision to facilitate ongoing collaboration.