VOICE FOR CHANGE

"I want to see the right choices for health become the easier choices to make in my community."

- Katherine Hsiao, Oakland

Investing in California

It's 44 days without a state budget and while new reports are indicating that we may be one step closer, we are still waiting. While our leaders are still negotiating about who gives and gets what, the health, welfare, and quality of real lives are at stake. We are constantly reminded that the state's budget reflects our values. However, as the budget debate continues, it does not seem to be about our values, but rather a broader debate over competing visions...

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Congressional Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit Explores Strategies to Address Health Disparities

From the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)

On July 18-19, more than 200 policymakers, advocates, and public health officials converged on Houston, Texas for the Sixth Annual Congressional Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) took the lead in planning this year's summit, which provided an opportunity to build consensus on policies that address health disparities, to develop strategies for advocacy at the federal level, and to... 

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National Health Disparities Bill Moves Forward

Eight years after the introduction of health disparities legislation, H.R. 3014, the Health Equity and Accountability Act, received its first congressional hearing this June. The bill, which is strongly supported by the Congressional Hispanic, Black, and Asian Pacific American Caucuses (known as the Tri-Caucus), addresses issues related to culturally and linguistically appropriate care, workforce diversity, data collection, and rural health.

"It was exciting, after so many years of disappointing inaction...

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Safe Parks, Safe Neighborhoods, A Joint-Use Initiative in Santa Ana, California

Ana Carricchi, Director of Policy of Latino Health Access

During a recent town hall meeting, 250 Santa Ana residents converged in the auditorium of St. Joseph Church parish hall.  While parents discussed the need for quality education, safer streets, and better paying jobs, 40 youth sat in the outside patio and shared their views on the city.  The youth cited gang violence, dirty streets, graffiti, and the need for more policing and better teachers.  They all agreed that they need a clean and safe open space to call their own.  One key policy area that would provide open space....

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Three Reflections on Online Advocacy

Allen Gunn, Executive Director of Aspiration

I'm honored and delighted that CPEHN has invited me to share a few reflections about what makes for effective online outreach. At Aspiration, we spend a lot of time advising other nonprofits on how to sustainably incorporate the internet into their communications and advocacy, and the following are three themes which consistently come up in these conversations.

1.  Email is still the most effective online tool....

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AB 1472: Healthy Places Act

A casualty of the state budget crisis was CPEHN's bill, AB 1472 (Leno). The bill would have implemented a statewide program to advance the use of Health Impact Assessments (HIA). Even though steps were taken to reduce the cost of the bill, it still wasn't enough to get the bill out of Senate Appropriations Committee. We believe that HIAs are an integral tool for developing healthy communities and hope to continue to advance this work administratively.

AB 3027: Notification of Language Access Services

AB 3027 (De Leon) was co-sponsored by CPEHN and Latino Issues Forum to enforce the implementation of CPEHN's 2003 bill, SB 853, which required all health plans and insurers to provide interpreter services and translated documents for their enrollees.  AB 3027 would have required the California Department of Insurance (CDI) and the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) to develop uniform notices to be sent to all enrollees outlining how to obtain interpreters and translated documents. Unfortunately due to a cost analysis that was not revised in time for the vote, AB 3027 died in Assembly Appropriations.

Bills to Watch

Earlier this year, it became clear that advocates would face an uphill battle for getting good policies passed because of the state budget crisis.  As a result of a lot of hard work, these bills are still advancing through the legislative process:

• SB 840 (Kuehl) Single payer health care system. Status: Assembly Floor   
• AB 2327 (Caballero) Clarifies that disaster victims do not need ID in order to receive assistance. Status: Assembly Concurrence on Senate Amendments
• SB 1420 (Padilla) Menu labeling.  Status: Assembly Floor
• AB 2704 (Leno) Free tap water in schools. Status: Senate Floor
• SB 441 (Torlakson) Nutritious foods in vending machines on state property. Status: Senate Concurrence on Assembly Amendments

Keep an eye out for CPEHN Action Alerts and Inside Track updates on these and similar bills that would improve health in communities of color. You can also go to CPEHN's Take Action page for an up-to-date status report.

Planning for Healthy Communities: Advocating for Equity in Planning Decisions

October 23, 2008 - Fresno, CA
October 30, 2008 - San Diego, CA
November 6, 2008 - Oakland, CA
November 18, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA

Conducted by staff from Public Health Law and Policy's Planning for Healthy Places Project, CPEHN's fall convening series will provide participants with a deep understanding of land use, economic development, and redevelopment strategies that might be used to create healthier environments. Please Contact Ruben Cantu at rcantu@cpehn.org for more information. To sign up to receive our event announcements visit: www.cpehn.org.

Marion Nestle Book Signing

August 27, 2008 - Oakland, CA

Prevention Institute is hosting Professor Marion Nestle as she discusses her newest book, Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine. RSVP today.

Safe Routes to School Annual Meeting

September 2, 2008 - Seattle, WA

The National Partnership's Annual Meeting will provide a summary of the Partnership's achievements over the past year as well as an opportunity to discuss  the next transportation bill that will succeed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). For more information and to register visit: www.bikewalk.org/2008conference/srts.html.

Health Impact Assessment for Community Advocates Training

September 15-16, 2008 - Oakland, CA

Human Impact Partners will be conducting a two day training on HIA for community advocates. For more information or to register, please contact Jennifer Lucky at jlucky@humanimpact.org or (510) 740-0143.

An Obesity Agenda for the Next Administration

September 19-21, 2008 - Boston, MA

Sponsored by The Public Health Advocacy Institute and Public Health & Policy, the conference's goal is to generate a set of policy recommendations for the incoming presidential team in an interactive setting. For more information and to register click here.

The Sixth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations

September 21-24, 2008 - Minneapolis, MN

Co-produced by the Drexel University Center for Health Equality, Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care, and the USDHHS Office of Minority Health, the theme of this year's conference will be "Partnerships for the future: Supporting practitioners and advancing the field through innovation, policy, and research." For more information and to register visit: www.diversityrxconference.org.

A Community Under Siege: the State of Black California Tobacco Use

September 26, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA

The California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Control Program is sponsoring a one-day African American Tobacco Control Conference. For more information and to register click here.

Serious Business - Defining Agenda, Allies, and Directions: Securing Reproductive Justice for Black Women

September 27, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA

Black Women for Wellness's convening will focus on seeking solutions to the continuing reproductive disparity of African American and Black women. For more information and to register visit: www.bwwla.com.

Chronic Disease Care: Better Ideas in Action

November 7-8, 2008 - San Francisco, CA

California HealthCare Foundation and the California Improvement Network present a networking conference for health professionals who are eager to lead change in chronic disease care. For more information and to register visit: www.calchroniccare.org. 

Free Legal Clinics

San Francisco, CA

PODER provides free legal and education services for low-income immigrant communities in San Francisco. For more information on their educational presentations and free legal clinics contact Laura Malgarejo at (415) 431-4210.

The 2009 California Childhood Obesity Conference

July 9-12, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA

The California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Education, and the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health present the premiere obesity conference. Visit the  Center for Weight and Health website for updates.

CPEHN IN THE NEWS

"A New Report Calls for Healthier Communities"
Justin Willis, KSEE News - July 2, 2008
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"7 Valley Counties Found Unhealthy: Neighborhoods have dirty air, limited access to playgrounds, report finds"
Barbara Anderson, The Fresno Bee - July 1, 2008
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"Governor's Medi-Cal Cost-Cutting Plan Could Disrupt Benefits For Poor"
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News - June 3, 2008
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"Advocates Worry About Proposed Medi-Cal Cuts"
KCBS News - May 30, 2008
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NEW REPORTS

PRIMARY PREVENTION

Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities, an analysis produced through a partnership between Trust for America's Health, the New York Academy of Medicine, the Urban Institute, The California Endowment, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Prevention Institute, validates what those in the field have always known intuitively: community-based prevention saves money in addition to lives.
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The Path to Healthy Communities: Mapping California's Priorities, a recent report by the Having Our Say coalition, analyzes factors that influence health and the prevalence of health conditions to identify and prioritize high-need cities, counties, and communities. The brief also identifies policy recommendations for policymakers, public health experts, and community leaders to incorporate health in land use and transportation decision-making to ensure our communities live healthier lives.
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Investment in Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Projects: Public Health Benefits for the Larger Community, a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demonstrates that investment in SR2S programs has great potential to increase physical activity among adults and children in urban areas.
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Breathing Easy from Home to School: Fighting the Environmental Triggers of Childhood Asthma, a new report released by PolicyLink and The California Endowment, lays out a plan for what we all can do to make our children's air safer and healthier. The report provides a blueprint for dramatically reducing the community factors that contribute to asthma development and spark asthma attacks.
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ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

MyHealthResource.org, a statewide database maintained by Californians for Patient Care, offers an on-line health care finder for all Californians who are looking for medical care but do not have traditional insurance. The service is free, easy to use, and available to anyone who needs to find free or affordable health care.
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Why Do People Lack Health Insurance?, a new report by the Urban Institute, examines the reasons people report being uninsured by key population subgroups and how those reasons have changed over time.
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A Burden No Child Should Bear: How the Health Coverage System Is Failing Latino Children, a report by the National Council of La Raza, describes the poor state of health care for Latino children due to a lack of coverage. The author suggests that by improving access to health care, developmental problems can be detected and treated before they become chronic problems that can negatively affect these children's lives, even into adulthood.
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Identifying and Evaluating Equity Provisions in State Health Care Reform, a new report released by the Commonwealth Fund, seeks to identify state policies that promote equitable health care access and quality and to evaluate existing laws, regulations, or reform proposals in five states - Massachusetts, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and California.
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CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC COMPETENCY

Laying the Groundwork for a Movement to Reduce Health Disparities, the second report by Prevention Institute for the Institute for Alternative Futures', analyzes what is going on nationally to address health disparities and what we can learn from successful social movements, concluding with a description of what needs to be put in place in order to build the momentum necessary to substantially reduce disparities.
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Health Jobs Start Here, a project funded by The California Wellness Foundation, is working to grow and diversify California's health workforce in order to improve the quality of health care for all Californians. They are looking for people working in health jobs to answer questions online, share their personal stories about what its like to work in health care, or speak with youth and young adults at schools or local community organizations.
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Creating Equity Reports: A Guide for Hospitals, a report produced by The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, describes the process of creating a health disparities report, including rationale for why such a report is important, how to collect patient data and train staff, what quality measures should be included, and how to develop strategies based on findings.
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Language Testing Options 2008, a new report by Hablamos Juntos, looks at how language testing has evolved in the context of an emerging field of health interpreting and includes a sample of 30 public and private resources now available.
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National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities, developed by the Drexel University School of Public Health's Center for Health Equality, with support from the HHS Office of Minority Health, the National Resource Center is the nation's first online clearinghouse and information exchange portal designed to facilitate communication, networking, and collaboration to improve preparedness, build resilience, and eliminate disparities for racially and ethnically diverse communities in public health emergencies.
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JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

CPEHN is looking for a Coordinator for the Having Our Say (HOS) coalition. The HOS Coordinator is responsible for managing a diverse statewide coalition of over 30 organizations working to ensure that the voice of communities of color are prominent within the health care reform debate.  Click here for more information on the position and how to apply.

Thank You

To join this distinguished list, please donate to CPEHN now.

Questions? Please contact Rachel Larson, Communications Coordinator, at rlarson@cpehn.org or (510) 832-1160.