About Health Equity
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Disparate health outcomes for minorities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and other subsets of California’s population are the result of historic and systemic inequalities that persist today, and it has risen to the level of a public health crisis in California. Unequal access to health care and health resources, as well as unequal and damaging environmental conditions due to race, socioeconomic status, and other factors is untenable in a just and healthy society. Ensuring every Californian receives equitable, high-quality care requires long-term, systemic solutions. Some facts*:
Black Californians have the highest rates of new prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer cases, and the highest death rates for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer.
About one in five Latinx Californians report not having a usual source of care and difficulty finding a specialist.
Californians who are Native American and Alaska Native, as well as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, are less likely to report having a checkup within the past year than other racial/ethnic groups.
*Source: California Health Care Foundation
California’s hospitals are on the front lines of mitigating health inequities. Within their communities, hospitals examine and address the social determinants of health — things like housing instability, access to healthy foods, and community violence — that significantly affect health risks and outcomes. And they continually work to improve the experience and outcomes for everyone in their care through a variety of initiatives, including a statewide maternal health quality collaborative; data collection and analysis on race, ethnicity, language preference, and other sociodemographic data; cultural competency training; increasing diversity in leadership and governance; and improving and strengthening community partnerships. But hospitals alone cannot eliminate health disparities. It will take systemic reform, paired with broad partnerships across all segments of California’s communities, to break from the status quo.
5 Things To Know: San Diego County Plans to Transition January Storm Victims to Long-Term Housing
San Diego County, the city of San Diego’s Housing Commission, and the National City Housing Authority have agreed on plans to help residents affected by the January storms to transition out of the county’s Emergency Temporary Lodging program to longer-term housing solutions. This program currently supports over 1,500 people by providing temporary housing, food, and access to mental health services.
5 Things To Know: Senior Care Workforce Crisis in San Diego and Imperial Counties
The senior care industry in the San Diego County and Imperial County region is facing an urgent crisis as the aging population rapidly grows. Currently, facilities can only accommodate 8% of all seniors in San Diego County and 3% in Imperial County. Compounding this shortage is employers’ limited ability to meet the expanding demand for senior care workers, which current training programs in the region will need to address.
In an effort to support the region with these challenges, the San Diego & Imperial Center of Excellence commissioned a study to evaluate workforce needs. The research team produced a report that analyzed traditional labor market information to identify employment trends and conducted a survey of 342 current and former senior care workers.
5 Things To Know: Equity In Behavioral Health
SAMHSA To Host Equity In Behavioral Health Webinar: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will host a webinar on May 22 at noon (PT) to discuss how its African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence is addressing inequities at the intersection of behavioral health and justice systems. To register, visit the event web page. (A Microsoft-based email is required because the webinar is offered on the Teams platform.)
5 Things To Know: Naloxone Distribution Project | EMS Forum | Virtual Connection Hub | Substance Use Disorder Webinar | HCAI Loan Repayment Program
FREE FENTANYL TEST STRIPS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE NALOXONE DISTRIBUTION PROJECT: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is expanding the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP) to include fentanyl test strips, which can be obtained by eligible organizations statewide. FTS are used to detect the presence of fentanyl in drug samples prior to ingestion. NDP applicants will […]
5 Things To Know: Impact Wellbeing Guide | Population Health Monitoring Presentation | CHA Tagline Translations | HCAI Portal | California University Receives $20M
CDC RELEASES HEALTH CARE WORKER IMPACT WELLBEING GUIDE : The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released the Impact Wellbeing Guide: Taking Action to Improve Healthcare Worker Wellbeing. This guide is the newest addition to the Impact Wellbeing campaign launched in October 2023 and provides a step-by-step process […]
5 Things To Know: Opioid Pilot Project | North County Shelter | April NAMIWalks | Blue Envelope Program | Rural Health Care Symposium
SAN DIEGO COUNTY LAUNCHES PROGRAM TO REDUCE OPIOID MISUSE: San Diego County has launched a pilot project to reduce access to, and misuse of, prescription opioids by encouraging safe disposal. Through the program, which will primarily focus on east and central areas where overdose death rates are highest, both health care providers and patients who […]
5 Things To Know: Point-In-Time Counts in January, CalAIM Community Supports Standardization, New Year Will Bring Expanded Medi-Cal Coverage, Dashboard on Race & Ethnicity, Children’s Behavioral Health Services Lack Timely Access
SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTIES WILL HOLD POINT-IN-TIME COUNTS IN JANUARY: In January 2024, San Diego County and Imperial County will each hold their annual Point-in-Time Count (PITC) of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families. The data inform the Department of Housing and Urban Development and help determine federal funding for homeless services and programs. To […]
Turning Heartbreak into a Resource
The Gillespie family established the Jayden T. Gillespie Foundation to reduce the stigma that often surrounds behavioral health disorders.
5 Things To Know: EMS Mobile App, Discharge Delays Survey, Respiratory Virus Surges, Equity Of Care Award, CHA Seismic Webinar Recording
EMS MOBILE APP: The San Diego County EMS Office has released a new EMS Mobile App, available to the community at emsmobile.sandiegocounty.gov. It allows users to easily search through all protocols and policies using keywords. In addition, users can bookmark specific protocols and policies to quickly access them at any time. The EMS Mobile App also […]
5 Things To Know: Public Safety Power Shutoffs, Medi-Cal Rx, Minority Fellowship Program, Patient Safety Evaluation Summit, Behavioral Health System
PUBLIC SAFETY POWER SHUTOFFS: San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) is conducting two public safety power shutoff (PSPS) exercises and welcomes the attendance and participation of external stakeholders:
PSPS Tabletop Exercise: April 11, 8 a.m.-noon
PSPS Full-Scale Exercise: May 1-2
If you are interested in participating, please complete the Extent of Play Agreement and email a PDF copy to EMTrainingExercise@sdge.com. If you are interested in scheduling a tour for your organization, please reach out to EmergencyServices_SDGE@sdge.com