County study recommends phased, community‑led African American Holistic Wellness hub; board asks equity committee to refine plan

A county‑commissioned feasibility study recommends a phased approach to build an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub — starting with mobile outreach and site activations, followed by district satellite sites, and ultimately a permanent hub in East Contra Costa — and the Board of Supervisors asked staff to bring implementation details back through the equity committee.

The Ceres Policy Research feasibility study, presented April 15 to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors by Dr. Kirby Lynch, was based on more than 4,000 survey responses, 16 listening sessions and interviews with community stakeholders. It found deep, countywide racial disparities across causes of death and community health indicators and concluded Black residents in Richmond, Antioch and East County experience the highest, most urgent needs.

"This report was a collective effort," Dr. Kirby Lynch said during the presentation, describing the research team and community steering committee that guided the work. Economist Ryan Drake Lee, who worked on the fiscal analysis, told supervisors the recommended multi‑phase rollout would allow the hub to begin delivering services quickly while the county and community design longer‑term governance and funding.

Why it…