Black Neighborhood Focus of Healthcare

Desert Healthcare District reopens RFP to establish a healthcare access point in historically black neighborhood

PALM SPRINGS — Residents of the Desert Highland Gateway Estates community, a historically black neighborhood, are the focus of improved healthcare.

In June 2020, the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation Board approved a funding initiative to address the healthcare needs of black communities in the Coachella Valley. One component of this initiative is improving access to healthcare for the residents of the Desert Highland Gateway Estates community, in which the Board allocated $400,000.

Desert Highland Gateway Estates is a Palm Springs community and historically black neighborhood that the District has worked with for years and is seeking an opportunity to continue that partnership by advancing shared strategies and reducing barriers that hold inequities in place.

Following the June 2020 funding approval, the District and Foundation sought opportunities to leverage funding and bring in additional funding partners. Inland Empire Health Plan and Lift to Rise recognized the importance of this initiative and the direct alignment it had to their organization’s missions. This collective impact model has ensured an initial allocation of $575,000 for this project.

The District and Foundation seeks applicants that can establish a healthcare access point in Desert Highland Gateway Estates, and provide services to accomplish the following goals:

• Increase the number of persons with a regular source of primary care
• Increase the number of persons with medical insurance
• Increase the number of persons with access to behavioral health
• Reduce non-urgent emergency department use

The submission deadline is February 12, 2021.

To learn more, please read the RFP here. If you have questions about the RFP, please email info@dhcd.org.

About the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation

The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to achieve optimal health at all stages of life for all District residents. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. Primarily funded through a portion of Riverside County property tax collected in the Coachella Valley, as well as public and private donations and lease revenue, the District and Desert Healthcare Foundation, together, are one of the largest funders in the valley. These funds are used to assist residents — especially the underserved and vulnerable members of our community — in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary, dental, and behavioral healthcare, housing, food, and transportation to medical appointments.