Community Engagement

The Community Partnership Program joined forces with Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley (Second Harvest) and the Office of Child Health Equity (OCHE) to address local food insecurity by coordinating previously siloed efforts within Stanford Medicine. In support of this cause, the Community Partnership Program received generous funding from the Stanford University, Office of Community Engagement.

In 2023, we brought together leaders across Stanford Medicine to map internal and external food insecurity efforts. From those efforts, the Food Insecurity Coalition emerged, which quarterly brings together leaders across Stanford and the community to share information and identify opportunities to collaborate on local food efforts. In 2024, we hosted a second convening centering on community partners, screening and referral efforts, and medically tailored meals. The coalition continues to meet quarterly.

Samaritan House Free Clinics of Redwood City and San Mateo (Samaritan House), serves as a vital service provider bridging the healthcare gap for San Mateo County’s medically underserved and uninsured residents. The Community Partnership Program partnered with Samaritan House to create a Patient & Family Council (PFAC) that incorporates patient voice within clinical operations.

Through generous funding received by the Stanford University, Office of Community Engagement, Stanford colleagues supported the co-development of a survey, available in both English and Spanish, to collect data on how well the clinic is meeting the medical needs of the community and identify areas for improvement. Findings from the survey will inform action items for the inaugural PFAC with the aim of bridging the gap between patients and clinicians.

In partnership with our colleagues in the Office of Child Health Equity and Vot-ER, a national non-partisan voter registration organization, we launched the 2022 and 2024 Vote Health Campaigns aimed at increasing voter registration at Stanford Medicine and highlighting the link between policy and health. These efforts involve coordination among government affairs teams, hospital leadership, departmental leadership and other school-based efforts including Democracy Days. We plan to continue the Vote Health Campaign for future election cycles.