The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week published updated maps and data on physical inactivity among adults, defined as not participating in any physical activities outside of work over the last month. More than one in five adults is inactive in all but four U.S. states. State and territorial-level maps of…
Read More »The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) recently published an evaluation report that assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted service utilization under the Whole Person Care (WPC) Program, the statewide Medi-Cal demonstration launched in 2016 to integrate medical, behavioral health, and social services for high-utilizing Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The report…
Read More »California Health Policy Strategies (CalHPS) recently published a policy brief detailing the overdose crisis in California between 2017 and 2021. The report calls attention to the significant increase in drug overdose deaths throughout the state. The policy brief’s topline findings include: Preventable drug-related overdose deaths have doubled since 2017 – Between 2020 and 2021, nearly…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom released the 2021 second annual Social Innovation Impact Report, detailing California’s multisector approaches to addressing the state’s most persistent challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Newsom Administration, California has led 44 public-private partnerships totaling more than $4 billion in corporate and philanthropic contributions and engaging more than 1,600…
Read More »This week, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new Surgeon General’s Advisory calling attention to the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis. The advisory outlines the pandemic’s unprecedented impacts on the mental health of youth and families in the U.S., as well as mental health challenges that existed prior…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) recently issued a new report entitled, “Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women in California: An Environmental Scan of Leadership Opportunities and Economic Supports to Prevent Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Teen Dating Violence.” The report represents an initial exploration…
Read More »Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the release of the new National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, detailing the country’s strategy to addressing human trafficking. The plan delineates actions and resources across numerous federal agencies and emphasizes collaboration with state and local governments, the private sector, and non-governmental partners. The National Action Plan retains a…
Read More »A new report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found significant increases in the use of telehealth that helped maintain access to some health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, produced by researchers in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), also found that…
Read More »The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), in partnership with a series of other coalition groups including the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), this week released its new report “Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System.” The report details a five-year roadmap for public health leaders and elected officials to build…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week released a new report finding that millions of Americans with private health insurance experience some kind of surprise medical billing. The report, developed by the HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, found that surprise medical bills are relatively common and can…
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