Healthy Communities Initiative strengthens city partnerships across San Bernardino County

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Healthy Communities Initiative staff and city of Fontana partners stand together outdoors near large city letter signage during a community meeting. — *Healthy Communities Initiative team members gather with city of Fontana partners during a recent meet-and-greet to strengthen local health planning efforts.*

The Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI), a program of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, is strengthening partnerships with cities and towns across San Bernardino County to ensure health is considered in local planning and policy decisions.

Since 2006, HCI has served as a central resource for incorporated cities working to improve the environments where residents live, learn, work and play. The initiative provides technical assistance, policy guidance, data resources and partnership coordination to help local governments build healthier, more resilient communities.

Through this work, HCI supports strategies that address chronic disease prevention, climate change and its health impacts, safe routes to school, walkable neighborhoods, and cooler, more sustainable built environments.

In recent months, HCI has re-engaged local governments by hosting meet-and-greets with 16 cities, relaunching quarterly collaborative meetings, and supporting community efforts such as Healthy Fontana’s “Fresh, Fit, & Fun Fair.” The quarterly meetings create opportunities for regional partners to share best practices, strengthen cross-jurisdiction collaboration, and identify coordinated solutions to common challenges.

To further support local partners, HCI has launched a redesigned webpage featuring toolkits, planning guides and examples of model policies that can be adapted to meet community needs. Resources include safe routes to school planning materials, heat preparedness guidance and other tools designed to move communities from planning to implementation.

By integrating health into local decision-making, HCI continues to advance a countywide approach to wellness and resilience.

City leaders, planners and community partners are encouraged to explore available resources and participate in upcoming collaborative meetings by visiting the Healthy Communities Initiative webpage.

For more information, please contact Bernadette Beltran at bernadette.beltran@dph.sbcounty.gov.

Additional County Update News – March 12, 2026