Blog

By Padma Nagappan, California Health Care Foundation, August 25, 2021 For the better part of a decade, Barbara Cheiker made her home in squalid conditions next to a busy Northern California freeway. The hardships were unimaginable. Even as she prevailed in a hard-won battle for sobriety, Cheiker was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and various mental health crises. Each time she was discharged from a hospital or rehabilitation center, she returned to her place without a plan or an...

By Michelle Robertson, SF Gate, August 17, 2021 One thousand two hundred and seventy. It’s a number Felisia Thibodeaux can list off the top of her head. That’s because it's the number of people she has gotten vaccinated by direct referral so far — and the number keeps growing. Thibodeaux is the executive director of the Southwest Community Corporation, which operates out of the I.T. Bookman Community Center in San Francisco’s Ingleside Heights. Before the pandemic, Thibodeaux’s job entailed...

By Claudia Boyd Barret, East Bay Times, August 21, 2021 Krista Hayes, 32, of Oakland was delighted when she found out she and her husband were pregnant with their first child together. But she was also scared. She’d seen statistics showing that, as a Black woman in America, she was far more likely to die in childbirth, suffer labor complications or have a preterm baby than other women. She feared entrusting the momentous process of having a baby to a medical system that she felt had often...

From Vote Save America, August 2021 *Interactive website with voting information for California voters. California! Back in the day, people searched your state for gold. Now, they search for a place with oat milk (which is just as expensive.) But California has a lot going for it. So all you shiny, happy people running on beaches better be exercising YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE as well. Here’s everything you need to know in the Golden State. You may have heard about this "recall election." You may be...

By Rob Waters, California Health Care Foundation, August 17, 2021 When the coronavirus pandemic struck California in March 2020, community health workers at a group of school-based family resource centers in Chula Vista made a pivot. The schools where they worked closed abruptly, and it was no longer safe to meet clients in person. They started working the phones, reaching out to families to find out what they needed. As it turned out, they needed a lot. “They are desperate. They don’t have...

It's time register for the 2021 Virtual Latinx Health Policy Summit, “ #NuestroFuturoNuestroPoder : Advancing a Just COVID-19 Recovery Plan and Achieving Latinx Health Equity through Systems Transformation.” happening September 29th & 30th. The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California invites you to its 2021 Virtual Health Policy Summit! The 2021 Virtual Health Policy Summit will bring together grass tops and grassroots public health leaders from throughout the State of California for a...

By Ninez A. Ponce, Susan H. Babey, Tara Becker, et al., UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, August 27, 2021 Summary: Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, providing health insurance to Californians with low incomes, including about 40% of the state’s children, half of Californians with disabilities, over a million seniors, and about one in six working adults. In total, the program covers around 13 million Californians, nearly one-third of the state’s population. However, coverage...

By Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, August 26, 2021 As a college student arriving in San Francisco in the late 1980s, Cecilia Chung wasn’t just looking for higher education. The future transgender activist and chair of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission was looking for a community. “I knew I could find someone (here) who could understand what I was going through,” said Chung, speaking at City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 24, as part of the declaration of San Francisco’s first Transgender...

Vallejo community learns about ACEs and resources for healing- especially play, joy, and FOOD!

California’s cities and counties are starting to outline plans and allocate the $16 billion in relief funding they are getting through the American Rescue Plan Act. Community members and community-based organizations should have a seat at the table and advocate for funding to support their greatest needs. Our next webinar will be totally in Spanish and is intended for CBO partners who serve Latinx communities and Spanish-speaking community members. The webinar will be held on September 2nd...

Check Your Mail! The ACEs Aware “State of CAre” campaign kicked off in May to raise awareness about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and the long-term health effects they can have on children and adults if not addressed. The goal is for clinical teams to take the free, online ACEs Aware training and get certified to screen for ACEs. As part of the campaign, a package of new ACEs Aware materials has been sent to all eligible Medi-Cal providers across the state. In early...

Anxiety, depression, and suicide is historically high, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where our world has changed so drastically. It has left many feeling isolated, fearful, lonely, sad, and unsure of the future. In this live webinar, Dr. Kristin Beasley, Clinical Psychologist, will discuss building a community of support, self-care tips, building resilience in difficult times, healthy communication methods, and more! We are all in this together! Share this time with us! September...