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: Governor’s Budget Proposal, Behavioral Health Grants, Skilled-Nursing Facility Updates
NEW LIVE WELL ON WHEELS BUS: During a Feb. 1 press conference, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and the Health and Human Services Agency announced the addition of a second Live Well on Wheels (WOW) bus. The bus will provide and deliver same-day services such as health care and food assistance, application assistance, or linkage to mental health services. In 2021, the Live WOW bus served nearly 23,000 people at more than 200 community events, mostly for COVID-19 services. Two additional Live WOW buses and one Public Health Lab bus are also on the way. These buses are available by request to attend community events that are co-hosted by community partners.
5 Things To Know: Hazard Pay, Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation, Medi-Cal CalAIM
Hazard Pay: The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $36 million of American Rescue Plan funding on hazard pay for the county’s essential employees. Mandatory bonus pay has been the subject of much discussion around the state as we emerge from the pandemic. The Culver City Council has passed an ordinance that requires $5 per hour hero pay for employees at the city’s only hospital, and Assembly Bill (AB) 650 would mandate bonuses of up to $10,000 for hospital employees and contractors. However, AB 650 was moved to the Assembly Inactive File on June 3 and is now a two-year bill.
5 Things To Know: Community Health Needs Assessment, CHA Website Launch, Focus on Homelessness
New Crisis Stabilization Unit: Paradise Valley Hospital has partnered with San Diego County to open a new crisis stabilization unit (CSU) on the hospital’s Bayview campus in Chula Vista. This specialized department — the first and only unit of its kind in the South Bay, and the second CSU in San Diego County — will provide hospital-based emergency behavioral health services to county residents ages 18 and older. More information can be found on the Paradise Valley Hospital website.