Making Health Economics Work for You: Better Decisions, Greater Trust

Healthcare agencies, especially those in rural and under-served areas of California, face impossible choices: limited budgets, competing priorities, and growing demands. But beyond managing scarcity, healthcare agencies also face a new, critical challenge: maintaining public trust in an era of heightened scrutiny.

Communities, boards, and funders increasingly demand to know:
Why this program and not that one? How do you know it works? What's the return on investment? Being able to answer these questions will help engender trust and confidence going forward.

get started
free consultation

Not sure what you need? Let's talk about your challenges and explore how health economics can help.

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss:

Your current priorities and challenges
Which tools or training might be most valuable
How we can support your specific needs
Custom solutions for your organization

Health economics provides the framework for decisions that are both smarter and more credible.

Assess community health needs comprehensively
Set priorities through transparent, evidence-based processes
Evaluate the economic value of your programs and policies
Identify sources of health economics data in California

Drawing on 25 years of experience determining the Return onInvestment and training healthcare professionals in rural areas of California,we know how to translate complex economic concepts into practical applicationsfor real-world public health practice.

WHY Sierra Health Economics?

Rural & Underserved Communities Specialist

Deep understanding of challenges facing rural and small health departments
Tools and approaches scaled appropriately for limited-resource settings
Experience across California's diverse rural regions—from agricultural Central Valley to mountain communities
Practical solutions that work without requiring large, dedicated staff

California-Specific Knowledge

Tools and data sources tailored for California's diverse communities
Expertise in agricultural worker health and food security
Experience across all 58 counties, with particular focus on rural areas
Expertise in CalAIM, PHAB accreditation, and state funding mechanisms

Academic Rigor Meets Practical Application

13 years as Professor of Health Economics at UC Merced, serving California's Central Valley
Led the $1.35M California Farmworker Health Study in rural communities
Developed chronic disease cost estimation tools used statewide, particularly valuable for rural counties
Published researcher who understands real-world constraints of small agencies

Proven Track Record

Training programs delivered to 600+ California public health professionals
Tools in active use by rural county health departments throughout California
Successful grant applications, PHAB accreditations, and program evaluations for rural agencies

County & Local Public Health Departments

‍Departments of all sizes seeking to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and demonstrate program value

Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans

Especially those serving rural regions, evaluating CalAIM programs and improving population health outcomes

Community-Based Health Organizations
‍
‍FQHCs, migrant health centers, and nonprofits serving rural and underserved populations

Regional Partnerships & Collaboratives

‍Multi-county initiatives in rural areas requiring sophisticated economicanalysis

Our Approach
‍

We believe health economics should be accessible, not intimidating.

Practical, Not Theoretical

‍Tools and methods designed for busy practitioners, not academic journals
‍

Scaled for Rural Reality

Solutions that work for small departments with limited budgests and staff
‍

Transparent Processes

Clear documentation that stakeholders and funders can understand and trust

California - Focused

Data sources, examples, and case studies drawn from California's public health landscape, particularly rural communities

Capacity - Building

Training your team to use economic tools independently, not creating dependency

Evidence - Based

Rigorous methods grounded inpeer-reviewed research and real-world testing

health economics for under-served areas of California