On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors are set to discuss the Feasibility Study for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub.
The request to the Board of Supervisors is approving a governance transition while authorizing an executive director hiring within 90-days. It also requests the allocation of $7.5 million to Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice. Authorizes jurisdictional partnerships and mobile activation and start service deployment through contracts.
The feasibility study came after Board of Supervisor Direction such a report last April which supervisors admitted while they set aside $7.5 million, they didn’t know who and how it would be spent… the study was aimed to address the following:
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- Produce a feasibility study that outlines the “what” and the “how” of launching and sustaining an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub in Contra Costa County. The study will outline the most pressing needs faced by the African American community in the County, what services should be housed within the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub, the location(s) of those services to best serve the needs of the most vulnerable members of the African American community, and the initial county investment and total cost to establish the services.
- Facilitate deep engagement with the African American/Black community to ensure that the feasibility study is a reflection of community members’ experiences and responds to their most pressing needs for holistic wellness services and resources
- Share regular progress report updates with the Co-Directors of the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice and the Steering Committee for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Feasibility Study
- Report the feasibility study findings to the Board of Supervisors, outlining clear next steps toward establishing an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub in Contra Costa County
According to the documents released by the county in the staff report, the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub is being called a “mandate” from the community:
- BOS authorized ORESJ in 2023 to study a wellness model for Black residents after community demand for healing resources emerge.
- 4,000+ surveys, 16+ listening sessions, and 12 stakeholder interviews
- 13-member Steering Committee led the process
- District-level analysis and priority setting
- Disparities are deepest in Districts 1 (Richmond) and 3 (Antioch)—over 60% of Black residents live here.
- This is a solution rooted in Black community wisdom, and designed to build what hasn’t existed: coordinated, trusted, culturally grounded care.
According to the 228 page feasibility report:
Why This Hub is Needed: Years of underinvestment have created severe racial disparities in Contra Costa County. Black residents face disproportionately higher rates of chronic illness, maternal mortality, housing instability, and economic precarity. While some county services exist, they are fragmented, inaccessible, culturally unsafe, and too often perpetuate anti-Black harm. This study is informed by 4,074 community survey responses, 16 listening sessions, and stakeholder interviews. It also builds upon past research from the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice and Contra Costa Health Services
Mobilizing County Agencies & Black-Led Partnerships: The Hub’s overall intention is not to duplicate existing services but to establish mechanisms for coordinating them to provide seamless, culturally competent care. This includes developing both an external referral process and an intra-referral system to facilitate immediate wrap-around support. Additionally, consideration will be given to whether services will operate solely on a drop-in basis or as a combination of scheduled and drop-in support.
Service Partners Should:
- Be Black-led (defined as organizations with at least 51% of leadership, board, or governing members identifying as Black and with core programs developed by and for Black residents of Contra Costa County)
- Demonstrate cultural competence and community trust
- Offer wraparound services (mental health, maternal care, housing, etc.)
- Employ staff with lived experience (formerly incarcerated, etc.)
- Prioritize mentorship, leadership development, and fair compensation
This dual-track approach allows services to launch immediately while laying the groundwork for a permanent governance structure.
Long-Term Sustainability: Establishing a Sustainable Governance Structure: Governance will evolve through a phased approach, beginning with MOU-based collaboration, transitioning to a hybrid fiscal agent + advisory model, and eventually to a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) as trust and readiness are established.
Building Permanent Infrastructure: Securing a Hub Location: While mobile teams provide immediate outreach, Contra Costa County must select and establish a permanent Hub facility within 12 to 18 months. The Hub will serve as a centralized space for holistic wellness, economic support, and Black-led community programming.
Potential sites include:
- 1650 Cavallo in Antioch (County-owned property, Asset #613))
- Other strategically located county-owned facilities to maximize accessibility
- 4549 Delta Fair Blvd, Antioch, CA (Secondary Option)
- Pittsburg Health Center (Contingent on free space availability)
- Antioch Health Center (If expansion space is permitted)
Service Delivery Model: Mobile, Temporary, and Full- Scale Services
The Hub will follow a phased service approach that blends mobile deployment with semi-permanent satellite spaces to accelerate service delivery while building toward permanent infrastructure.
Phase 1: Mobile & Temporary Service Locations
- Preventive Health Screenings (diabetes, hypertension, vaccinations)
- Drop-in Behavioral Health Counseling (trauma-informed care, crisis response)
- Maternal Health Outreach (prenatal & postnatal care, doula services)
- Naloxone Distribution & Substance Recovery Support
- Housing Navigation Pop-Ups (rental assistance, eviction prevention)
- Economic & Workforce Development (job fairs, financial literacy workshops)
- Cultural & Healing Spaces (art therapy, community healing circles)
Phase 2: Full-Scale Facility Services
- Comprehensive Behavioral Health Clinics (therapy, psychiatric care, addiction recovery)
- Chronic Disease Management (diabetes, hypertension, maternal health)
- Integrated Primary Care (health check-ups, immunizations, specialist care)
- Youth & Family Services (safe recreational spaces, child development programs)
- Workforce Development Hubs (vocational training, entrepreneur support)
- Cultural & Community Healing Spaces (storytelling, wellness circles, trauma-informed therapy)
Conclusion
This study confirms what Black residents, service providers, and advocates have long called for: Contra Costa County must act immediately.
- Expand the Steering Committee’s authority to oversee implementation and funding allocation until the permanent Hub is secured and operating.
- Mobilize county agencies and Black-led organizations to coordinate service delivery.
- Deploy mobile and temporary services now while securing a permanent Hub location.
- Transition governance to a JPA to secure funding, oversight, and long-term sustainability.
By investing in the Hub today, Contra Costa County can set a national precedent for how to eliminate racial health disparities, stabilize Black communities, and advance economic justice. The Hub is not just a policy recommendation—it is a moral imperative, born of community grief and vision, and must be implemented now to reverse generations of harm.
Key Stakeholders named in the report — key stakeholders whose leadership, expertise, and deep commitment to Black wellness helped shape and innovate this model through impactful conversations:
- Adiam Mengis (Black Infant Health team)
- Brandi Burgess (Breast Friends Lactation)
- Brittany Bryant, DSW, LISW-CP(S) (Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, UCSF JJBH/NFPPB)
- Connie Russell (People Who Care Children Association)
- Debbie Toth and Holly Tillman (Choice in Aging)
- Demnlus Johnson (Rocketship Public Schools)
- Dennisha Marsh (PAAACT – Parent of African American Achievement Collaborative Team)
- Dolores Moorehead (Women’s Cancer Resource Center)
- Lucy Ogbu-Nwobodo (UCSF Psychiatry Department)
- Napoleon Dargan (Founder, Quality Over Quantity – PUSD/CCHS; Board Member, Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation)
- Shantelle Brumfield (Believe In What You Dream)
- Pastor Edward Harris (Pastor, Agape Fellowship AME Zion Church)
- Enrique Ramirez (Black Infant Health team)
- Gigi Crowder (NAMI Contra Costa and the 40 Voices Campaign)
- Jon Green (Green Ties)
- Marlene Ceballo (Women, Infants, and Children – Contra Costa Health)
- Mary Taylor (The African American Friends Club of Rossmoor)
- Mitchell Hopson (San Ramon Valley Diversity Coalition)
- Monikkia White (Roots Community Health Center)
- Natalie Berbick (Black Infant Health team)
- Odessa LeFrançois (NAACP East County)
- Pastor Shantell Owens (Genesis Church)
- Sherina Criswell (Certified Birth Doula, Certified Lactation Educator,
- and Crisis Intervention Specialist)
- Tiffany M. Simpson-Crumpley (Black Infant Health team)
- Velma Wilson (Antioch United School District)
Steering Committee members:
- Jacqueline Smith
- Phil Arnold
- Ashley Green
- Taylor Sims
- Zelon Harrison
- Sheryl Lane
- Desirae Herron
- Vanessa Blum
- Chinue Fields
- Patt Young
- Alfonzo Edwards
- Rohana Moore
- Mark McGowan
Documents:
- Final Narrative Report_AAHWRH Feasibility Study_April 2025 (228 pages)
- Final Presentation_AAHWRH Feasibility Study_April 2025 (22 pages)
- AAHWRH Key Data Stats_April 2025 (23 pages)
- Memo: Leveraging GIS to Advance Place-Based Planning for Black Wellness in Contra Costa County (3 pages)
Previous Stories:
- April 10, 2025 – Antioch City Council Agrees to Support African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub
- Sept. 30, 2024 – Grant Opportunity to Provide Services to Increase and Expand African American Holistic Wellness: The County will be awarding up to $880,000 in one-time grants to community-based service organizations to augment and expand existing services or programs by increasing capacity (e.g. serving more participants, hosting additional events, extending program periods)
- July 10, 2024 – Firm Selected for Feasibility Study on Contra Costa African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub
- April 30, 2024 – Contra Costa County Sets Aside $7.5 Million for African American Holistic Wellness Center: the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to set aside $7.5 million in Measure X funding for an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub. The move came during a 2-day marathon Board of Supervisor Meeting for its Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Recommended Contra Costa County and Special District Budget
- Dec 12, 2023 – Contra Costa Board of Supervisors to Consider Measure X Allocations
