“It’s OUR Healthcare!” a new campaign created by a coalition of more than 50 organizations, will use an interactive website, satellite-linked town hall meetings and person-to-person outreach to advocate for “quality, affordable healthcare for all Californians.” The campaign will enable the public to share stories and concerns with each other and with policymakers. Many TCWF grantees are members of the coalition, which includes consumer and health advocates, seniors and labor and faith-based organizations. read more
Report Tracks California’s Capacity to Produce Health Professionals
The Health Workforce Tracking Collaborative, a project of the Center for the Health Professions at UC San Francisco, has published a study of the “educational supply chain” for selected health professions in California. Medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and allied professions are tracked by number of graduates produced, degree types and distribution among educational institutions statewide. The report, funded in part by TCWF, includes information on projected demand for health professionals. read more
Report Recommends Funding Increases for Juvenile Crime Intervention Programs
According to a new report from Fight Crime, Invest in Kids California, funding cutbacks enable only 4 percent of serious juvenile offenders and their families to receive intensive, therapy-based services—despite research showing that such programs can cut repeat arrests by as much as half and could save taxpayers more than $700 million annually. The report, funded in part by TCWF, calls for funding increases for the Juvenile Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction program and the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, which funds several repeat-offender prevention programs. Fight Crime, Invest in Kids California is led by police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys and crime victims. read more
Poll of California Youth Reveals Major Concerns About Neighborhood Violence
African American and Asian youth in California rate violence in their neighborhoods as the greatest challenge facing their generation, according to a recent poll of 600 Californians ages 16 to 22. Commissioned by New America Media, the poll reveals that youth of all ethnic groups view the breakdown of the family and violence in local communities as more pressing issues than the war in Iraq, global warming or even worries about school. Conducted entirely via cell phone, the “California Dreamers” poll also conveyed the youths’ overwhelmingly optimism about the future. read more
Funding Increase Urged for Gun Violence Prevention
Gary L. Yates, president and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation, participated in a session at the Council on Foundations’ annual meeting in early May that urged grantmakers to increase funding for research on effective gun violence prevention strategies. Yates noted that foundation-funded research on this issue has influenced public policy in California. The session added in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting in April, included presentations by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns; David Hemenway, author of Private Guns, Public Health; and Roseanna Ander, gun violence program officer at the Joyce Foundation. read more
TCWF California Peace Prize Honorees To Speak at Pat Brown Institute Event
“Violence and Health: A National and Regional Challenge” is the topic of a May 31 panel discussion at Cal State Los Angeles, moderated by Patricia Giggans, executive director, Peace Over Violence and a 2004 TCWF California Peace Prize honoree. Panelists include Constance Rice, co-director of the Advancement Project Los Angeles and a 2003 TCWF California Peace Prize honoree; and the Honorable Steve Cooley, Los Angeles County District Attorney. Part of the California Agenda Public Policy Lecture Series of the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, the event is funded in part through a TCWF communications department media/civic partnership. read more
State and Federal Gun Purchase Laws Reevaluated at Congressional Hearing
Two TCWF grantees—Robyn Thomas, executive director of Legal Community Against Violence, and Susan B. Sorenson, a University of Pennsylvania professor formerly at the UCLA School of Public Health— recently testified before a congressional hearing of the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy. “Lethal Loopholes: Deficiencies in State and Federal Gun Purchase Laws” evaluated incompleteness in the federal database used for checking the criminal and mental health records of gun purchasers and examined inconsistencies in state compliance with federal gun purchase laws. Video of the hearing is available online. read more
Policy Brief Reveals Major Challenges to Healthy Aging in California
According to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, more than 20 percent of California seniors are likely to fall, need special equipment or assistance for personal care, or struggle to afford nutritious food—health issues that disproportionately affect poor and minority seniors. The report finds that nearly 12 percent of Californians 65 and older have fallen more than once in the previous year, and 20 percent of low-income seniors consistently lack money for food. Funded by a grant from TCWF, the brief is based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey. read more
Interactive Website Offers Forum for Community Violence Prevention
Not Just a Number is a website that enables residents of Oakland to respond to the escalating homicide rate in their city by connecting with one another, sharing stories and proposing solutions. Produced by 49th Parallel Productions in conjunction with The Oakland Tribune and its website affiliate, InsideBayArea.com, the site includes videos made by community groups and links to pertinent news stories. Every feature invites user comments. The website is funded in part through a TCWF communications department media partnership. read more
Report Identifies Ways To Increase Latino Participation in Nursing
The U.S. has a severe nursing shortage, yet the profession remains overwhelmingly Anglo, non-Hispanic despite the nation’s growing minority population. Even in California, Latinos comprise only 4 percent of registered nurses. A new report from the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) identifies best practices in California nursing programs to help increase Latino participation in the profession, including ways of addressing family-related, financial and socio-cultural barriers. TRPI, a TCWF grantee, is an affiliated research unit of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development. read more (PDF)
