About CIN

The California Improvement Network (CIN) is a learning and action community that advances equitable health care experiences and outcomes for Californians through cross-sector connections, spreading good ideas, and implementing improvements.

CIN’s guiding vision for 2025-2027 is a future in which all people can experience person-centered care that results in improved and equitable care experiences and outcomes.

CIN partners engage in a shared governance model, define priorities for learning and action, collaborate on network activities, and advance the network’s aim by building relationships across the health care ecosystem.

CIN is unique in that it brings together health care organizations (HCOs), such as providers, payers, and supporters, with community-based and social service organizations (CBOs) to improve health care.

What Is a Learning and Action Network?

CIN accelerates the spread of health improvement innovations through:

• Connection: Meetings and other opportunities to build and strengthen connections among partners and members to increase improvement capacity.
• Learning: Speakers, workshops, and other resources that advance knowledge and skills for leaders.
• Action: Partners and members implement improvements in their organizations.

Who’s a Part of CIN?

CIN is a project of the California Health Care Foundation and managed by Healthforce Center at UCSF.

CIN is made up of these types of participants:

• Members are anyone engaged or interested in health improvement who has subscribed to the CIN newsletter. Members have access to curated resources and opportunities to participate in CIN technical assistance to support learning and capacity building. Anyone can be a member. Sign up here!
• Partners are health care providers, payers, and supporters (HCOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) working to improve health care and health outcomes in California. Partners define priorities for learning and action, co-design network activities, convene regularly, have priority access to CIN technical assistance, and participate affinity groups Partners are selected through an application process every two years. See the list of partners.
• Managing partners are a subset of partners who make up the leadership structure as part of the shared governance model of CIN. Alongside CHCF and the Healthforce Center program office, managing partners set strategy and allocate resources that contribute to the overall impact of CIN. See the roster below.
• The program office team, based at Healthforce Center at UCSF, provides strategic and operational support for CIN; designs and implements all network activities, partner meetings, broad member events; and disseminates technical assistance and knowledge-sharing resources. See the roster below.

What Programming Does CIN Offer?

CIN Partner organizations benefit from a myriad of CIN activities that promote learning and action such as:

• Five in-person partner convenings in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles with shareable learnings disseminated to the network (see example on How Community Voices Strengthen Health Workforce Strategiesand Equitable Co-Design in Health Care)
• Peer learning through virtual affinity groups for network focus areas: partnering to support whole-person care and improving careto achieve equity (a CIN affinity group previously developed a toolkit on racial health equity)
• Expert-led training sessions, workshops, webinars, toolkits,  and other resources to improve care
• Newsletters with curated resources and technical assistance (TA) opportunities to spark learning and innovation
• Action projects to support implementation efforts for partners (see example on Building Processes to Improve SDOH Data Capture, Coding, and Referrals); $40,000 grant funding per org available for three CIN partners.

Three Priority Areas to for Learning and Action

CIN develops three priority areas for learning and action in each cycle through a collaborative process that incorporates the strategic priorities of partners and the broader network. All partner meeting content, technical assistance offerings, and other network activities are rooted in these areas. Partners engage in co-design throughout the cycle to identify needed technical assistance in the three areas.

For the 2025-2027 cycle, network priority areas include:

• Leading change and fostering resilience: The foundations for all improvement efforts
• Improving care to achieve equity: Identifying and using resources to address health disparities and achieve California’s Bold Goals
• Partnering to support whole-person care: Building strong organizations and partnerships to support best practices for the provision and coordination of physical health, behavioral health, and social services

See the Resources and Tools for these and earlier CIN priority areas and topics.

CIN’s Commitment to Equity

CIN’s vision includes a commitment to equitable health care experiences and outcomes. CIN ensures progress toward this vision by:

• Building a network that manifests this commitment through shared governance, co-design of priorities, transparent communication, and financial support for CBOs
• Defining goals for diversity of the network
• Supporting partners’ efforts to achieve health equity
• Broadening access to CIN programming and resources

Join CIN!

The California Improvement Network is open to all and free of cost thanks to the support of the California Health Care Foundation. Subscribe now to hear about the latest health improvement events, resources, and tools through our monthly newsletter.

CIN Managing Partners

CIN Program Office Team