Debra Oto-Kent and Barbara Masters, Build Healthy Places Network Partners

Commons Good: Stewardship and Starting Points

In this episode we’re joining forces with the Build Healthy Places Network -- whose work sits at the intersection of community development, finance, public health, and healthcare. They intentionally position partnerships between these sectors to leverage community-centered investments to reduce poverty, improve health, and advance racial equity. We’re grateful to be talking with Debra Oto-Kent and Barbara Masters about what this work looks like up close in community. How is the work evolving during this legacy moment? What does it look like to build a sense of belonging and civic muscle through authentic community engagement? And what are the opportunities and momentum they see in communities for moving from recovery to renewal?Barbara Masters is Principal at Masters Policy Consulting and brings more than 30 years of experience in health policy, philanthropy and government. Barbara serves as the Initiative Director for the California Accountable Communities of Health. Prior to leading CACHI, Barbara led the efforts within The California Endowment to develop policy change strategies and effective methods for measuring progress. She previously served as vice president of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH) and directed intergovernmental relations for the Los Angeles County Department of Health. She began her career in health policy as a legislative assistant for Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA). Barbara serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for ChangeLab Solutions.Debra Oto-Kent, MPH, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Health Education Council, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting health and preventing chronic disease in underserved communities. The Health Education Council has worked at the forefront of cross-sector collaboration to create innovative, model programs promoting community well-being. In 2016, the organization received an Innovation Award from the California Department of Public Health and was named a Nonprofit of the Year in both 2016 and 2021 for its work in engaging residents to reduce health disparities in the Sacramento region. Debra serves on the Board of Directors for the West Sacramento Housing Development Corporation and has been recognized for her contributions through such awards as the Al Geiger Memorial Award for Community Service, Exceptional Women of Color (EWOC) Excellence Award by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Unsung Hero Award, Senator Richard Pan. Explore More:Build Healthy Places Networkhttps://buildhealthyplaces.org/Healthy Neighborhood Investments: A Policy Scan & Strategy Maphttps://buildhealthyplaces.org/tools-resources/healthy-neighborhood-investments-policy-scan/Thriving Together: Belonging and Civic Musclehttps://thriving.us/vital-conditions/belonging-civic-muscle/Health Education Councilhttps://healthedcouncil.org/California Accountable Communities for Health Initiativehttps://cachi.org/Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement: A Conceptual Model to Advance Health Equity through Transformed Systems for Healthhttps://nam.edu/assessing-meaningful-community-engagement-a-conceptual-model-to-advance-health-equity-through-transformed-systems-for-health/