On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance for health care providers and patients detailing how naloxone should be prescribed to all patients at risk for opioid-related complications, including overdose. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health and Senior Advisor for Opioid Policy Adm. Brett Giroir announced the updated guidance that reinforces…
Read More »This week, Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom announced key appointments to the Governor’s Office of Strategic Communications and Public Engagement. Daniel Zingale will lead the office as the senior advisor on strategy and communications. Zingale has served as senior vice president of The California Endowment for the past 10 years, where he has worked on a number…
Read More »After months of negotiations, U.S. Congress passed this week an expansive $867 billion farm bill. H.R. 2, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, passed the House on a 369-47 vote and the Senate on a 87-13 vote; the measure now heads to President Donald Trump where he is largely expected to sign the measure into…
Read More »This week, the Public Health Leadership Forum (PHLF), with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), published a white paper titled, “Developing a Financing System to Support Public Health Infrastructure.” The white paper examines the current state of public health infrastructure, public health foundational capabilities, and current public health financing structures in the U.S….
Read More »The California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) this week released a visual guide that tells the story of the California budget over the past ten years. The report examines the timeline of the events from the December 2008 proposed budget projection of a $42 billion deficit that quickly grew, resulting in California being called “ungovernable,” “a…
Read More »Public Health Advocates (PHA) and the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities are recruiting members of the All Children Thrive-California (ACT-CA) Initiative Equity Advisory Group. The ACT-CA is a three-year initiative (2019-2021) tasked with expanding the roles of counties and cities in preventing childhood trauma, countering its effects, and fostering community health and…
Read More »On Monday, the California Legislature convened in Sacramento for their organizational session, the first of its business for the 2019-20 Legislative Session. Monday’s session consisted of the swearing in of legislative members, appearances from state constitutional officers (including Governor Jerry Brown), and the opening of the Senate and Assembly desks for bill introductions. The legislature…
Read More »This week, Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting held a press conference to release the Assembly’s budget blueprint. Asm. Ting’s blueprint, “Funding Progress, Protecting Tomorrow,” details actions necessary to ensure fiscal responsibility while funding key Democratic priorities. During his press conference, Asm. Ting discussed the importance of placing funds in the reserve, directing funds to one-time…
Read More »On Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown announced his appointment of Heidi Steinecker as the Deputy Director of the Center for Health Care Quality at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Ms. Steinecker previously worked as a consultant at Global Health Consulting and prior to that, served in various capacities at the University of California, Davis…
Read More »On Wednesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Karen Smith announced that Jake Hanson has been appointed as the new Executive Administrator of the California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO). Mr. Hanson has been with CDPH since 2016 and has worked in multiple capacities in the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention…
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