Building Organizational Capacity to Expand Healthcare Access

Building Organizational Capacity to Expand Healthcare Access

Due to Medi-Cal updates, Fresno County residents can access healthcare from eligible community-based organizations. Fresno County partners aim to equip these organizations with the tools and knowledge they need to participate in this opportunity. The Executive Fellow will support this work by developing tools, education programs, and relationships necessary to build organizations’ capacity. As a result of this work, Fresno residents from all backgrounds will be able to access quality care through this community-based health model.

Fellowship Dates:
April 27, 2026 – April 23, 2027

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $95,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change.

Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the communities being served.

They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Fresno County serves approximately 4,300 households with community-based health programs (e.g., home visitation programs, community health worker programs, etc.) with an estimated need of 10,000 households. Community based organizations (CBOs) are critical for last mile public health delivery. While these organizations typically have small budgets and staff, they catalyze a large impact. The CBO community-based health workforce (e.g., community health workers, home visitors, doulas, promotoras) are especially effective, because they treat/support the whole person and have trust, connections, and insight related to their local communities.

During COVID-19, many CBOs delivered lifesaving information, support, and supplies to families in Fresno County. While their public health work was effective, the pandemic revealed that CBOs frequently lack the administrative and operational capacity to manage, often administratively intensive, government funding requirements. This limits their ability to pursue strategic grants, scale up good work, and serve their communities through more diverse support.

During the pandemic, the County of Fresno was able to make arrangements for financial and administrative oversight of the federal funding that went to local CBOs, but those resources were for extraordinary circumstances. CalAIM , a state program that expands healthcare definitions to include CBOs, presents an opportunity for sustainable, reliable, long-term funding for these services. To promote…