03 Sep Applications Due Sept. 12 for Black Wellness Hub Advisory Group

UPDATE: The deadline to apply has been extended to Sept. 12.

CC Pulse Staff Report

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is looking for community members to serve on the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body. The transitional body has been set up to help guide the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub during its first phase.

TCAB members will give input to the county Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice in choosing an independent lead to oversee operations of the resource hub.

The Board of Supervisors earlier this year approved first the establishment of the hub and then a multi-step plan to roll out its services over the next four years. The hub will be named for the late Federal Glover, Contra Costa’s first Black supervisor, and is proposed to be located in Antioch, where a separate community-led Black wellness hub opened Aug. 8.

District 1 Supervisor John Gioia was a leader in efforts to create the hub, “to better serve the needs of our African-American residents,” he said in a press release from his office.

TCAB members will play a role in filling the following positions: the implementation lead entity, executive director, board of directors, and community council. Additionally, members will be asked to outreach efforts to recruit qualified candidates.

“We’re looking for Contra Costa County residents with lived personal and professional experiences reflecting the needs and priorities of vulnerable African Americans,” county officials said in a statement announcing the search for TCAB members.

People with experience in any of the following areas are especially encouraged to apply:

• Behavioral Health (particularly for African American men and boys)
• Housing Navigation (especially for families with young children and those at immediate risk)
• Preventative Health Care (especially for elders and young children)
• Infant and Maternal Health
• Resource Navigation (Medi-Cal, CalFresh, other public benefits)
• Reentry Support and Restorative Alternatives (especially for African American men and boys)

Applications are due by no later than 5 p.m. Sept. 12. Following that, there will be committee interviews. Appointment of members to the TCAB will be Oct. 7 by the Board of Supervisors. The first meeting of the group will happen in mid-October.

TCAB members are unpaid; they will serve without compensation, stipends or reimbursements. The group will remain active for about one year, until the hub’s independent nonprofit, board and community council are fully established.

Application forms and more information can be accessed on the county’s Boards, Committees & Commissions page.  They can be submitted by email to: ClerkoftheBoard@cob.cccounty.us or by regular mail to: Clerk of the Board, 1025 Escobar St., 1st Floor, Martinez, CA 9455.

For any questions, call (925) 655-2000.