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California Health Report
Opinion: How Texting Could Help Californians Access Health Care and Food Banks
California’s new Medi-Cal waiver — California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal — known as CalAIM, is a $6 billion, multi-year plan to transform California’s Medi-Cal program, which serves 1 in 3 Californians. Underpinning this plan is the Whole Person Care model, which seeks to coordinate a patient’s health, behavioral health and social services in a way that meets their unique needs and health goals. To achieve this, CalAIM includes a multi-year investment to build a standardized data collection and data sharing framework.
California Has a Unique Problem With Hospice Fraud. Can Legislation Stop it?
The Northern California woman with a chronic illness was receiving home health services, but she wasn’t terminally ill. So when her son learned that a visiting nurse had tricked his mother into signing up for hospice care paid for under her Medi-Cal plan, he was alarmed. Signing up for hospice meant she would no longer be able to get curative treatment for her health condition. Instead, the nurse sedated his mother with morphine and other medications, and a hospice chaplain called the son asking him to sign documents to donate his mother’s body for scientific research.
Opinion: The Central Valley Lacks Public Parks, But We Can Do Better
Parks are essential for public health, climate resilience and strongly connected communities. Trust for Public Land annually ranks park systems across the 100 most populated cities in the United States. Those in California’s Central Valley often rank near the bottom: Fresno ranks 97th. Bakersfield is 85th. Stockton ranks 77th.
Analysis: The Formula Shortage Is Also A Disability Rights Issue
The baby formula shortage wreaking havoc across the United States is terrifying for any parent who relies on infant formula to feed their child. It’s especially calamitous for babies and children with special health care needs who rely on special prescription formulas that have also been impacted by the supply shortage.
How to Have Trauma-Informed Conversations with Survivors of Domestic Violence
When Carolina Reyes first opened up to a friend in 2017 about the domestic violence she was experiencing, she wasn’t sure what to expect. It had taken Reyes a long time to reach out, and she was scared. At the very least, she hoped that her friend might understand.
Opinion: How to Ensure Medical Members Can Access Their Mental Health Benefits
In 2014, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more Californians than ever were eligible to access Medi-Cal, California’s free or low-cost health insurance, which includes mental health coverage. Medi-Cal currently serves 14 million Californians, the majority of whom are people of color, people with low incomes, and people with limited English proficiency. People who are Latinx make up a third of Medi-Cal members and people who are Black account for 28 percent.
Trying to Help Survivors, a Domestic Violence Agency Turns the Focus
Janna Rivas smiled at the three men on the computer screen in front of her. “So who wants to start us off with their check in today?” she asked cheerfully. For a few moments, no one spoke. Then a man with long hair raised his hand. “I am checking...
Opinion: An Urgent Call to Address the Housing Crisis in Black Communities
With California’s $45.7 billion budget surplus, we have a historic and unprecedented opportunity to help right past wrongs and invest in Black communities and housing. We are calling on the region’s leaders and residents to support a historic $500 million Bay Area Regional Black Housing Fund. We also call on the legislature to include it in this year’s state budget.
I Survived Teen Dating Violence. Here’s How We Can Prevent It
This is the second in a series of essays by survivors of domestic violence in which they share what they wish others knew, what has helped them heal and how we can prevent violence. I grew up in love with love. Every Saturday morning, I would go downstairs to my...
How Families Are Advocating for Children with Disabilities in Foster Care
Sheri Louie fell in love with Kristina the moment she saw her at the group home for medically fragile children in Fresno. A licensed vocational nurse, Louie had spent years working with children like Kristina who need special medical equipment to stay alive. But something about the fragile baby with expressive eyes felt unique.
My Animals Saved My Life, But I Almost Lost Them to Domestic Violence
This is the first in a series of essays by survivors of domestic violence in which they share what they wish others knew, what has helped them heal and how we can prevent violence. In many households around the world, pets are an integral part of the family unit. They...
Doctor’s Notes: What I’m Seeing in Young Children Who Get COVID
AG is a 2-month-old, healthy chubby baby with “Michelin man” rolls and pinchable cheeks, and he’s my patient. I’m a pediatric intern at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a safety-net hospital in Los Angeles. When AG missed his checkup in late December, I was worried. Only initials are being used to protect the baby’s identity.
Opinion: We Can Transform California’s Health Safety Net
One third of all Californians and nearly half of California children depend on Medi-Cal, California’s public health coverage program, for health care. A majority of those enrolled in Medi-Cal are people of color, and a third have limited English proficiency. With that in mind, it is clear that Medi-Cal is a foundation for advancing health equity in California, but we must seize the opportunity.
Analysis: Why California Needs an Oversight Office for Durable Medical Equipment
As a parent of a child who depends on a ventilator to breathe, my first priority is keeping my child alive. In order for my son to live safely at home, we need reliable access to medical equipment like ventilators, oxygen saturation monitors and oxygen. We also need regular replacements of consumable items like ventilator circuits, oxygen tubes, sensors and feeding products. Alarmingly, families like mine face a constant struggle to obtain these critical, life-sustaining supplies.
Opinion: New Medi-Cal Rx Is Riddled With Problems, Hurting Those Who Need it Most
Despite warnings that the health of the state’s 14 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries would be threatened, on Jan. 1, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) implemented Medi-Cal Rx, the questionable fee-for-service program that stripped pharmacy benefits from health plans and handed Medi-Cal prescription drug purchasing and distribution to a private, for-profit company. Now, a month into the new program, there are reports that thousands of Medi-Cal patients have been left without their medications for days or even weeks. Physicians are concerned that someone is going to die as a result of this flawed system. Remember, these are individuals in an already underfunded Medi-Cal system, and they are the same people who were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analysis: It’s Time to Rethink Our Response to Intimate Partner Violence
Amid the death, sickness, mental health challenges and economic upheaval wrought by the pandemic, another threat to public health has reached new heights. Intimate partner violence — which can include physical abuse, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological aggression within a romantic relationship — has escalated over the past two years. Research points to economic distress, increased time indoors with abusive partners, and worsening mental health issues as major exacerbating factors.
Opinion: We Need Sustainable Funding to End Domestic Violence
Prevention works. From wearing seatbelts to administering vaccines, prevention campaigns reduce risk and improve quality of life. When it comes to domestic and sexual violence, we can take the same approach. By addressing root causes, we can significantly reduce this type of violence. A violence-free California is possible!. But it...
Opinion: How to Improve Health? Give All Californians Housing
As a California high school student, I have become aware of one of the biggest health threats facing some of my peers: The lack of a stable home. I believe access to housing is an individual right and a community need. The most fundamental health-related need is housing. A home is more than just a place to live. Lack of housing and high rents directly impact health, hygiene, safety and the ability to combat illnesses—especially during a pandemic.
How the Mental Health System Fails Asian Americans — And How to Help
Growing up, Tony remembers feeling like an orphan, even though he had two parents. Wherever he went, even with his own family, he felt like he didn’t fit in. Tony, who did not want his last name included because of stigma around mental illness, immigrated from China to the Bay Area 40 years ago. At age 12, he began to struggle with depression and anxiety. He had a hard time talking to his family about it, which left him feeling isolated. His family’s uncommon dialect also made it hard for him to talk to other Chinese immigrants. And the enormous pressure he felt to succeed meant he was too busy studying to make many friends.
Latinx Families Ask For Equal Services for Their Children With Disabilities
Mayra Jimenez picked up her phone and braced herself. She was trying—again—to get independent living skills training for her son Bryan, who has autism. If she and her husband had a way to access the training themselves—and could afford it—they would sign Bryan up today. But the training is only offered through a state-funded system of nonprofit organizations called Regional Centers. Through this system, California is supposed to guarantee that children and adults like Bryan who have developmental and intellectual disabilities can get the services they need.
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