This week, California State Auditor Elaine Howle released an audit report on youth suicide prevention efforts at a selection of school districts and chart schools, as well as the role of state agencies in youth suicide prevention. As indicated by the state auditor, from 2009 through 2018, the annual number of youth suicides (ages 12-19)…
Read More »Earlier this week, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) released the application for the next round of the California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG). Recall, these funds from Proposition 64 (Adult Use of Marijuana Act) are directed to local health departments and community-based organizations to provide grants to support activities such as job…
Read More »The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) will host a webinar on October 21 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am titled, “Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Access, Safety, and Utilization: Building Vaccination Confidence in Communities of Color.” The webinar will feature expert panelists to educate policymakers and stakeholders on the historical reasons for vaccine hesitancy in communities of…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-80-20 taking action on a series of items related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the order allows local health officers and other public health officials to participate in the Secretary of State’s Safe at Home Confidential Address Program. The order acknowledges the numerous threats and other harassment…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a handful of legislative measures to reform the state’s behavioral health care system, including reforms aimed at improving access to mental health and substance use disorder services and behavioral health services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Most notably, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 1976 (Eggman) to expand court-ordered Assisted Outpatient…
Read More »The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has made available the 2018-2020 California Children’s Services (CCS) Title V Needs Assessment Final Report. Title V of the Social Security Act provides for programs to improve the health of all mothers and children, including children with special health care needs. As a condition of the Title V…
Read More »This week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced it is seeking stakeholder participation in a series of technical workgroups that will be convened to obtain input regarding the renewal of the Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver. The HCBA Waiver provides long-term, community-based services and supports to Medi-Cal-eligible beneficiaries in the community of…
Read More »This week, the Newsom Administration marked Climate Week 2020 by announcing a series of new climate change-related initiatives. Below, we summarize some of the most notable actions: Zero Emissions Vehicles by 2035 Among the actions, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-79-20 requiring the sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emissions by 2035…
Read More »This week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring it a policy of the federal government to ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions can obtain health insurance of their choice at affordable rates. The order directs specified federal agencies to “build upon existing actions to expand access to and options for affordable healthcare” and…
Read More »This week, paperwork was filed with the California Attorney General’s Office for an initiative statute to limit the government’s role to an advisory capacity during any health crisis. According to the initiative, government would be allowed to issue public service announcements and/or health advisories. However, governments would be prohibited from issuing any executive orders that…
Read More »