Rural Resilience Innovation Hub
You don’t have to navigate complex reforms alone
A shared space for rural collaboration and real solutions.
Rural Northern California counties are rich with wisdom, relationships, and local ingenuity. At the same time, counties face complex systems, limited resources, and overlapping initiatives that can make behavioral health work challenging. The Rural Resilience Innovation Hub (RRIH) brings these realities together—connecting people who care deeply about children, youth, and families. Together, we celebrate local strengths, share what’s working, and turn collective learning into practical strategies that address challenges while building on community resilience and creativity.
Join neighbors from behavioral health, justice education, community organizations, and more to learn, share, and build partnerships that make a real difference. This community of practice will offer a shared space to:
- Exchange real solutions with peers across rural counties in Northern California
- Build partnerships that matter
- Align with reforms like CalAIM to make them work locally.
- Learn together how to strengthen systems of care for youth and families
Who Should Participate?
Anyone working with children and youth in behavioral health, probation/justice, education, or community organizations across rural Northern California.
Why Join?
- Connect with others in Northern California facing similar challenges
- Learn what’s working in other communities
- Co-create strategies that center youth and families
Stay Connected. Stay Informed.
Upcoming Meetings
January Session: 🤝 Community-Engaged Practices
Thursday, January 22, 2026 | 1:00-2:30 pm PT
Join us for a conversation grounded in both research and lived experience, featuring two practitioners deeply engaged in rural community partnership work.
Featured Speakers:
- Megan Irgens (Postdoctoral Researcher, UCSF) will share insights from her work on rural community-engaged research, highlighting approaches that center community voice, build trust, and strengthen learning partnerships.
- Karen Pautz (Executive Director, First 5 Siskiyou) will speak to her on-the-ground experience building and sustaining community-engaged partnerships in a rural county setting—what it takes, what gets in the way, and what has made a difference.
This session will include time for reflection and dialogue, offering space to connect research, practice, and your own local experiences. Whether you’re new to community-engaged work or deep in it, we hope you’ll join the conversation.
Save these dates & stay tuned for more on future opportunities:
February 19, 2026 | 1:00-2:30 pm PT
March 19, 2026 | 1:00-2:30 pm PT
April 23, 2026 | 1:00-2:30 pm PT
May 21, 2026 | 1:00-2:30 pm PT
Resource Library
Past Meetings
December 18: Strengthening Partnerships Across Systems
This session focused on building collaborative partnerships that foster trust and cross-sector support by taking a systems approach, grounded in shared goals and accountability to the communities we serve. Featuring guest speaker Ronni Duncan, Manager of Care Management with Adventist Health, participants had the opportunity to connect with peers, reflect on real partnership challenges, and surface practical insights from across counties and sectors. Recording available upon request.
November 20: The Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) and the Northern ACEs Collaborative (NAC), with support from the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR), hosted a virtual kickoff to launch the Rural Resilience Innovation Hub(RRIH)—a space for shared learning, reflection, and action across youth-serving systems.
The session focused on the key findings received through a survey of 160 rural partners across 57 counties to shape how this shared learning space evolves moving forward. Recording available upon request.
Get Involved
Join us and be part of a growing network strengthening youth and family wellbeing across rural communities.
Who’s Behind This Work
In partnership with the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR), the Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) will design and facilitate this eight-month peer learning and collaboration experience engaging up to ten rural Northern California counties. The Hub will strengthen local and cross-county responses to the behavioral health needs of children, youth, and families by fostering shared learning, innovation, and systems alignment.
