VOICE FOR CHANGE

Partnering for a Healthier California

As CPEHN deepens our work on promoting prevention and equity through a “health in all policies” approach, we have become even more appreciative of the importance of partnerships. “Health in all policies” considers how decisions across all sectors – transportation, housing, air quality, and land use – impact our health...

VIEW THE FULL STORY

Memorandum of Understanding Targets American Indian and Alaska Native Health Conditions

Dr. Kristal Chichlowska, Ph.D., MPH, Director of the California Tribal Epidemiology Center, California Rural Indian Health Board

On January 12th, the California Tribal Epidemiology Center (CTEC) and the University of California Davis (UCD) Cancer Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the relationship between historical trauma and health conditions like obesity and cancer in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) in California...

VIEW THE FULL STORY

Community Transformation Grants Invest in Local Prevention Efforts

Jeremy Cantor, MPH, Program Manager, Prevention Institute

One of the most effective ways to reduce health care spending is by promoting prevention. In California alone, an investment of just $10 per person per year to promote physical activity, enhance nutrition, and prevent tobacco use could yield more than $1.7 billion in annual health care savings within five years...

VIEW THE FULL STORY

Census 2010: What's Next for Our Communities

Deanna Cook, Ph.D., Advancement Project and Caroline Rivas, MSW, Advancement Project/Healthy City

Healthy City, a program of Advancement Project, supplied critical technology, research, and data to community organizations and foundations that worked to ensure that residents from all communities in California were counted in Census 2010...

VIEW THE FULL STORY

Budget Negotiations Stall, Further Cuts Loom Unless Impasse is Broken

The budget that has been signed by the Governor includes the following cuts to health and human services:

• Medi-Cal:
  • “Soft cap” on doctor’s visits
  • Mandated co-payments
  • 10% decrease in Medi-Cal provider rates
  • Eliminates Adult Day Health Care, with $85 million for scaled down version of the program
• Healthy Families:
  • Higher premiums and co-pays
• CalWORKs:
  • 8% cut to grants
  • Limits adults to 48 months of cash assistance
  • $100 million cut in children’s grants
  • Reduces county funding for welfare-to-work and childcare services
• In-Home-Supportive Services (IHSS)
• SSI Grants for Blind, Aged and Disabled

Promoting Health Through Land Use and Transportation Planning

AB 441 (Monning)

Land use and transportation decisions have a profound impact on our health, but those health implications are not being considered in the planning process. AB 441, authored by Assemblymember William Monning (D-Santa Cruz) and sponsored by CPEHN, would include health and equity criteria in the Office of Planning and Research’s (OPR) General Plan Guidelines and the California Transportation Commission’s (CTC) Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Guidelines...

VIEW THE FULL STORY

Healthy Food Coming to a State Facility Near You

AB 727 (Mitchell)

In response to the growing obesity epidemic, California is poised to take a lead in increasing the availability of healthy food. AB 727, authored by Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and sponsored by CPEHN, would require the food sold in vending machines, concessions, and cafeterias in state buildings to meet minimum nutritional and sustainability standards to help prevent chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes...

VIEW THE FULL STORY

HEALTH CARE REFORM

• The Affordable Care Act in California - A series of reports from the California Healthcare Foundation, examines the Affordable Care Act and what effect its implementation will have on California.
  LINK
• The Faces of the New Health Law: One Year Later, Californians Are Taking Advantatge of the New Options and Benefits of the Affordable Care Act - A report from Health Access, discusses how Californians have benefited from the new health law's provisions on its one-year anniversary.
  LINK
  
• Expanding Opportunities: What the Federal Health Law Means for California - A brief from the California Budget Project, examines the ACA's impact on the state.
  LINK
• The Crucial Role of Counties in the Health of Californians: An Overview - A report from the California HealthCare Foundation, examines how each of the state's 58 counties approaches health.
  LINK
  
• Community Prevention and the Affordable Care Act - A brief from the Prevention Institute, describes some of the community prevention efforts included in the new health law.
  LINK
• Worry Less, Spend Less: Out-of-Pocket Spending Caps Protect Families in California - A report from FamiliesUSA, examines how the ACA's out-of-pocket spending caps will affect families in California.
  LINK
  
• State of the States: Laying the Foundation for Health Reform - A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's State Coverage Initiatives, analyzes health reform implementation efforts in the 50 states.
  LINK
• Who Will Be Uninsured After Health Insurance Reform? - A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute, focuses on what portion of the population will still remain uninsured after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
  LINK
• Help on the Horizon: How the Recession Has Left Millions of Workers Without Health Insurance, and How Health Reform Will Bring Relief - A report from the Commonwealth Fund, looks at how the Affordable Care Act will help workers during the economic recession.
  LINK
  
• Easing the Burden: Using Health Care Reform to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care for the Chronically Ill - A report from the Center for American Progress, analyzes the effects of health care reform on racial and ethnic disparities.
  LINK
  
• ACA Short Papers - A series of short papers from the National Health Law Program, focuses on a variety of topics regarding the ACA, including language access, substance abuse, and civil rights, among others.
  LINK
• The Affordable Care Act: The First Year - A resource from the Consumers Union, provides a number of helpful resources to determine what provisions are included in the ACA and how they affect individual consumers.
  LINK
• How People Get Care Under the Affordable Care Act - A resource from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, provides a helpful flow chart that shows how people can access health care under the new health law.
  LINK
• Preparing for Launch: Los Angeles Safety Net Stakeholder Recommendations on Federal Health Reform - A report from LA Health Action, details health reform implementation recommendations from safety net stakeholder organizations in the Los Angeles area.
  LINK

PREVENTION

• Regulating Food Retail for Obesity Prevention: How Far Can Cities Go? - An article in the Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, discusses how localities can prevent obesity by adopting food retail regulations.
  LINK
• Healthier Communities Through Redevelopment: Rebuilding Neighborhoods for Better Nutrition and Active Living - A guide from the National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity, unveils a strategy to promote healthy eating and active living through redevelopment in underserved communities.
  LINK
• Childhood Obesity & Dental Disease: Common Causes, Common Solutions - A brief from Children Now, focuses on the state of dental health and obesity among children throughout California.
  LINK
• California Report Card - A report from Children Now, finds that California gets a C- for its efforts to protect and enhance the well-being of its children.
  LINK
• Investing in America's Health: A State-By-State Look at Public Health Funding and Key Health Facts - A report from the Trust for America's Health, provides statistics for federal and state spending on prevention, as well as some health statistics for each state.
  LINK
• Community-Centered Health Homes: Bridging the Gap Between Health Services and Community Prevention - A brief from Prevention Institute, examines how community-centered health homes can help prevention efforts.
  LINK
• Working Together to Advance Safe Routes to School - A fact sheet from the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership, provides an overview of the stakeholders involved in SRTS efforts.
  LINK
• Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Environments - A series of policy briefs from Samuels & Associates, focuses on changing nutrition and physical activity environments for obesity prevention. 
  LINK
• Food University - A resource that provides helpful tips and recipes for eating healthy. 
  LINK
• Healthy Parks, Schools and Communities: Green Access and Equity for Orange County - A report from The City Project, takes a look at the environmental factors that influence health in Orange County and how they lead to inequalities.
  LINK
• Healthy Parks, Schools and Communities: Green Access and Equity for Los Angeles County - A report from The City Project, available in both English and Spanish, advocates for policies that protect equal access to parks and recreation for all.
  LINK
• Community Health Indicators for Contra Costa County - A report prepared by the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California, focuses on health indicators and disparities in Contra Costa County.
  LINK
• San Francisco's Paid Sick Leave Ordinance: Outcomes for Employers and Employees - A report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, examines the success of San Francisco's recent paid sick days legislation in regards to employees and employers.
  LINK

HEALTH DISPARITIES

• HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - A document from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities, outlines goals and actions HHS will take to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities.
  LINK
• National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity - A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities, provides goals and objectives for public and private sector initiatives to help people of color reach their full health potential.
  LINK
• CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report — United States, 2011 - A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, details health disparities and inequalities on a national level.
  LINK
  
• Measuring the Gaps: Collecting Data to Drive Improvements in Health Care Disparities - A brief from the Center for American Progress, details how data can be used to address health care disparities.
  LINK

OTHER

• U.S. Census 2010 - New data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, shows that people of color represent nearly 60 percent of  California's population.
  LINK
• County Health Rankings - A resource from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, ranks counties by health conditions, environmental quality, and other health-related characteristics.
  LINK
• Indicators of Climate Change in California: Environmental Justice Impacts - A report from the State of California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, shows the effect of climate change on community health.
  LINK
• Why the EPA is Important to Latino Families - A report from the Center for American Progress, discusses how the Environmental Protection Agency can reduce health disparities in Latinos by regulating harmful pollutants.
  LINK
  
• Where We Stand: Hispanic Health Coverage at the National Level - A brief from the National Council on La Raza, examines the state of health coverage in the Latino community.
  LINK
  

The Road to Health: Improving Community Wellbeing Through Transportation

April 21, Fresno
April 27, Los Angeles
May 4, San Diego
May 5, Oakland

Featuring presentations from TransForm, a leading transportation advocacy organization, and local advocates, this convening series promises to provide stimulating discussion on how to create sustainable, healthy, and active communities through planning decisions.

Register now!

OTHER EVENTS

• Insure the Uninsured Project Regional Workshops
  April 15, Los Angeles
  April 22, Orange County
  April 28, North Central
  May 10, Inland Empire
  May 23, North Rural
  Hosted by Insure the Uninsured Project
  LINK
• Transforming California's Future: Activating a Movement for Budget Reform
  April 16, Oakland
  April 23, Santa Barbara
  April 30, Los Angeles
  Hosted by the California Partnership
  LINK
• Advancing Policy Action: California Convergence Webinar
  April 20, Webinar
  Hosted by California Convergence
  LINK
• California Healthy Cities and Communities Annual Conference
  April 21, Los Angeles
  Hosted by the Center for Civic Partnerships
  LINK
• Communicating Climate Change as a Critical Public Health Issue
  April 27, Webinar
  Hosted by the California Department of Public Health
  LINK
• Opening Up the Schoolyard
  April 28, Webinar
  Hosted by Public Health Law and Policy
  LINK
• California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit
  May 2-3, Sacramento
  Hosted by Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, Asian American Education Institute, Asian and Pacific Islanders' California Action Network, Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, and Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs
  LINK
• ENACT Day 2011
  May 4, Sacramento
  Hosted by the Strategic Alliance
  LINK
• Voices 2011 Conference
  May 16-17, Washington, D.C.
  Hosted by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
  LINK
• Integrating Health and Equity into Sustainable Community Strategy Planning (SB 375)
  May 18, Webinar
  Hosted by the California Department of Public Health
  LINK
• Immigrant Day 2011
  May 24, Sacramento
  Hosted by the California Immigrant Policy Center
  LINK
• Strategies to Limit Junk Food Marketing to Kids
  May 26, Webinar
  Hosted by Public Health Law and Policy
  LINK
• REACHing for Health Equity: Keeping Our Eye on the Prize
  June 1-2, Carson
  Hosted by Community Health Councils, Inc.
  LINK
• Making it Real: Promoting Conversations about Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace 
  June 6, Oakland
  Hosted by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health
  LINK
  
• Creating a Health Framework for Climate Action and Adaptation Planning
  June 22, Webinar
  Hosted by the California Department of Public Health
  LINK
• The 5th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference
  June 28-July 1, San Diego
  Hosted by the California Department of Public Health
  LINK
• California Diabetes Summit – Partnering to Improve the Public's Health
  September 7-8, Long Beach
  Hosted by the California Diabetes Program
  LINK
  

• Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health: Community Grants Program
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
  Deadline: April 27, 2011
  LINK
• Health Impact Project: Advancing Smarter Policies for Healthier Communities
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
  Deadline: June 1, 2011
  LINK
• RWJ Active Living Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
  Deadline: July 1, 2011
  LINK
• RWJ Public Health Law Research - Rapid-Response Grants
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
  Deadline: Open
  LINK