TCWF 2007 Champions of Health Professions Diversity Award Announced
TCWF will present its fifth annual Champions of Health Professions Diversity Award to three physicians: Dr. Michael V. Drake of Irvine, Dr. Hector Flores of Los Angeles and Dr. Ernest C. Levister, Jr. of San Bernardino. In recognition of the honoree’s efforts to reduce entry barriers to the medical professions and to ensure the success of underrepresented minorities, they will each receive a cash award of $25,000 on June 11 at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles. read more
Juvenile Justice Reform Is Focus of Northern California Grantmakers Forum
“A Window of Opportunity: New Paths to Reform California’s Juvenile Justice System” is the topic of a Northern California Grantmakers forum on June 20. The event will be held at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco. Presenters include TCWF grantees: Sue Burrell, staff attorney, Youth Law Center; Dan Macallair, executive director, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice; and David Steinhart, juvenile justice program director, Commonweal. The roles currently played by nonprofits and the opportunities for funders to help promote an effective system of care for juvenile offenders will be explored at the free event, only open to funders. read more
Coalition Launches Health Care Reform Campaign
“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
Court Mandates Expanded Care for San Diego County’s Working Poor
Low-income residents of San Diego County whose incomes exceed a $1,078-per-month limit may not be denied life-saving medical treatment, according to a May 23 state appellate court ruling. This major legal victory, won by the Western Center on Law and Poverty, a TCWF grantee, rejects the income threshold because it denies care to the working poor. The ruling favors a class-action lawsuit filed in 2005 against the county and its County Medical Services program, which provides emergency treatment, trauma care and treatment of chronic conditions to indigent adults with no other health coverage. read more
New Report Finds that 89 percent of California Parents Favor Comprehensive Sex Education in School
A new study from the Public Health Institute found overwhelming support among California parents—regardless of parents’ political leanings, religious affiliation or location—for school-based comprehensive sex education. Parents were asked about preferences for comprehensive versus abstinence-only sex education, opinions on specific sex education topics and reasons for preferences and opinions. The study, funded by a grant from TCWF, found the support to be highly consistent across the five social-geographic regions sampled. read more
Careers in Dentistry, Nutrition, and Orthotics Highlighted in L.A. Youth Series
Interviews with an orthodontist’s assistant, a dietician and a certified orthotist are featured in recent editions of L.A. Youth, a newspaper written by and about teens. “Working for Smiles,” in the January/February issue, was written by Beverly Hills High student Sylvana Insua-Rieger; “Good Nutrition is on the Menu,” by Chris Lee of Walnut High School, is in the March/April issue; and “Making a Difference,” by Mindy Gee of Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies is in the May/June issue. These articles are part of a series of health career stories made possible by a partnership with TCWF’s public education campaign to increase diversity in the health professions. 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
Health Care Workforce Shortages and Diversity Are Topics of California State Assembly Hearing
