2025 Annual Report
Welcome letter
We are proud to share our 2025 Annual Report and highlight how PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact (CHLI) continues to expand its impact builds healthy communities across the country. We know the challenges communities face are complex, and no single organization can solve them alone. That is why we are actively seeking new partnerships with organizations, funders, and community leaders who share our vision for a healthier future.
Partnerships, network building, and leadership development are central to our approach to improving public health. This year we continued a partnership with CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) to support 42 individuals in its Lead-Free Communities (LFC) Initiative, addressing lead contamination and making communites safer. We also continued a close partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services to support 15 overdose prevention coalitions with learning, coaching, and support that saves lives. Our ongoing partnership with AmeriCorps continues to build the next generation of public health leaders and provide capacity to local health departments. And new content partnerships with PHI and its programs allow us to amplify best practices and reach new audiences like never before.
As the public health landscape continues to shift, we see new opportunities to create healthy, safe neighborhoods; improve access to health in rural communities; improve nutrition and food security; and prepare communities to respond to disaster and emergencies. By aligning resources, expertise, and the needs of communities, we can accelerate progress, expand our collective impact, and build sustainable solutions that improve the public’s health.
We invite you to connect with us, discover partnership opportunities, and join us in addressing the most pressing public health challenges of our time.
CHLI by the numbers
The highlights below reflect cross-program evaluation data and impact across our portfolio of work at the local, state, and national level, including US territories and Pacific Islands.
CROSS-PROGRAM EVALUATION
Measuring impact across our body of work
Our cohort programs are rigorously evaluated, and participants consistently report strengthend skills and ability to create a positive impact.
96% would recommend our programs to a colleague
95% worked on projects that had a positive impact in their community
94% applied skills to their everyday work
IMPACT ONE
Helping teams and individuals build agile leadership skills and ability to work across sectors
LEADERSHIP
PARTNERSHIPS
NETWORKS
1k+ leaders
In 2025, 19 individuals participated in our California and National Leadership Academy (LAPH) leadership training programs. We continued a partnership with the CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) to support 42 individuals in its Lead-Free Communities (LFC) Initiative.
213 teams
In 2025, four teams in our Leadership Academy advanced impact in communities across Arizona and California, while 11 teams from the LFC initiative strengthened their ability to work across sectors to eliminate lead in local communities.
49 states & territories
Teams have addressed disaster preparedness and response, overdose prevention, environmental health, and other issues in local communities with diverse geographic and economic conditions across the US.
One of the most impactful leadership capacities I developed was effective delegation…being intentional about understanding each member’s strengths and strategically leveraging their unique gifts. By doing so, I created space for them to lead confidently.
- CALAPH Cohort 8 participant
Our coach helped us see opportunities working with broader collaboration. Through this process, we've worked…with organizations [that] weren’t on our radar when we started.
- NLAPH Cohort 12 participant
IMPACT TWO
Accelerating local impact and building coalitions to save lives from overdose
LEADERSHIP
PARTNERSHIPS
NETWORKS
$1.55M for overdose prevention coalitions
In 2025 our California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN) continued financial administration for 15 coalitions, reaching 13M Californians.
67k+ doses of naloxone distributed
In 2025, coalitions in our network provided prevention education to 70k+ community members and distributed naloxone—a lifesaving overdose reversal drug.
2,870 total attendees across our national events
In 2025, our free national webinars draw an average audience of 320 attendees and highlight issues such as addiction science, empathy building, and trends in street medicine and outreach.
Learn more about our overdose prevention work
The Accelerator [program] increased our efficiency, expanded our reach, and strengthened our ability to design programming that reflects community needs.
- Accelerator 6.0 participant
I was able to connect with five other county health departments who distributed Fentanyl test strips… Receiving firsthand experience from other health departments is what leadership needed to approve and move forward with test strip distribution.
- COPN coalition member
IMPACT THREE
Building the next generation of public health leaders through internships, residencies, and service year placements
LEADERSHIP
PARTNERSHIPS
213 members
Since 2018, CHLI has partnered with AmeriCorps to launch the largest VISTA sponsorship in California and the second largest in the Western region, with 30 members serving in local communities and supporting overdose prevention and healthy community initiatives in 2025.
87 participants have gained full-time employment
Since 2018, AmeriCorps members and residents of our California Academic Health Department (CAHD) initiative have been hired by their local host sites, health departments, and/or partner organizations, helping fill long term public health needs.
$617k funding leveraged by members for their host sites
AmeriCorps VISTA Hub members have launched Naloxone campaigns, coordinated over 5,611 community volunteers, and leveraged more than $617k dollars to support initiatives for ther host sites and local communities.
Learn more about our public health workforce initiatives
See recent evaluation data
My VISTA year encouraged me to think about medicine from a public and community health perspective. That was very valuable and is ultimately why I decided to pursue a dual [medical and] MPH degree.
- AmeriCorps VISTA Hub Alumnus
Without them, their passion, talent, dedication, and care for this work, we never could have shown up for our community in the way that we did with our VISTAs at our side.
– Host site supervisor
IMPACT FOUR
Strengthening the public health workforce with training and capacity building for professionals
LEADERSHIP
23 grantee health departments
We serve the largest region for the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) and lead capacity building and technical assistance delivery for the Region 9 Hub.
456 participants
In 2025 we hosted the second-annual Region 9 Hub convening, providing 456 participants with learning and networking opportunities.
1st ever USAPI convening
We also hosted the first-ever USAPI Convening for PHIG grantees, bringing together public health leaders from the US Pacific Islands, including America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
CHLI and Partners Host Second Region 9 and Inaugural USAPI Convening in California
PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact (CHLI) in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), hosted the second in-person Region 9 Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) Hub Convening on September 10–11, 2025, in Sacramento, California. As NNPHI’s designated Hub for Region 9, CHLI provides technical assistance to 23 PHIG recipients across California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawai‘i, and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI).
“Getting to hear from other [local health jurisdictions] about what they are doing with funds and how they are approaching processes like succession planning, hiring, and workforce development [was the most useful part of the Region 9 PHIG Hub Convening].”
IMPACT FIVE
Amplifying effective messaging, innovative approaches, and best practices for public health
NETWORKS
5,329 attendees
In 2025, our Dialogue4Health platform hosted 17 events highlighting trending public health issues including overdose prevention, messaging strategies, and the role of artificial intelligence.
#1 event addresses a public health emergency
Overdose prevention remains a lead issue area that CHLI advances through its Overdose Prevention Network. Over 1k attendees joined our Web Forum, Harm Reduction Strategies for People Who Use Fentanyl.
2 strategic content partnerships
Through partnerships with PHI and its programs, the Dialogue4Health platform amplfies the reach and impact of important public health information. A two-part series on artifical intelligence in public health, produced in partnership with PHI, drew 748 attendees, and two Web Forums on strategic messaging, produced in partnership with Frameworks Institute, drew 1,214 attendees.
Learn more about our programs and initiatives
-
Building adaptive leadership skills and ability to work across sectors
-
Accelerating local impact and building networks to save lives from overdose
-
Transforming the public health workforce through training, capacity building, and direct placement of professionals
-
Web Forums and events that advance cross-sector solutions to public health’s greatest challenges
Ready to improve health outcomes in your community?
Addressing today’s challenges requires cross-sector partnerships and strategic, community-driven solutions. We can help transform your work and create lasting impact.