The Steering Committee is a community-driven body of dedicated individuals working to reduce deaths among African American children by between 10 percent and 20 percent by 2020 in Sacramento County.
The Committee was established by a resolution of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in June 2013. Its ultimate charge is to provide coordination and oversight of efforts, create a strategic plan, monitor implementation, evaluate, and report on progress toward reducing the disproportional number of African American child deaths. The Steering Committee’s efforts focus on four issue areas:
In 2011, Supervisor Phil Serna convened the Blue Ribbon Commission on Disproportionate African American Child Deaths. Alarmed that in Sacramento County African American children die at very disproportional rates compared to other children, the Commission was an effort to activate the Sacramento community and engage resources to do something about it.
Steering Committee Application
The Steering Committee is funded by the County of Sacramento, City of Sacramento and First 5 Sacramento, and is managed by The Center.
The annual Community Indicator Report presents a set of core community indicators, including the leading causes of child death, to inform the work of the Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths and its community partners. This report updates the progress of the initiative county-wide with 2017 data.
This report tells the story of the coordinated efforts within seven Sacramento County neighborhoods to meet or exceed the goal of reducing African American child death rates from 10-20% by 2020 and to bring the vision for health and well-being for all children to fruition.
This report includes numbers that indicate encouraging movement in the effort to reduce African American child deaths by 10% to 20% in Sacramento County by 2020.
Sacramento County’s Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths began execution of its strategic implementation plan in fall 2015. This report details the plan’s benchmarks and how they were met.
This implementation plan, a follow up to the Steering Committee’s strategic plan, provides detailed programmatic steps to be undertaken to reduce the number of African American child deaths by 10% to 20% over a five-year period.
Download the Implementation Plan
The Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths submitted this Strategic Plan in response to the recommendations from Sacramento County’s Blue Ribbon Commission.
Sierra Health Foundation annually recognizes individuals who have pioneered significant changes in policy and services to improve health and safety outcomes for children and families. At Sacramento’s Juneteenth Festival on June 19, Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet P. Hewitt presented the 2021 award to Dr. Natalie Woods Andrews, his fellow Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths co-chair and executive director of Early Learning at the Sacramento County Office of Education. This year’s award acknowledges Dr. Woods Andrews’ leadership and commitment to the health and well-being of Black children and families in Sacramento.
The Steering Committee meets bimonthly on the third Wednesday of the month from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Sierra Health Foundation, 1321 Garden Highway in Sacramento, unless otherwise posted. Steering Committee meetings are open to the public.
Steering Committee 2021 Calendar
Steering Committee Meeting Materials
1321 Garden Highway© 2007-2021 Sierra Health Foundation All Rights Reserved