March 12, 2021 Edition
Yesterday, CHEAC’s Legislative Committee met for its second meeting to review legislative bills introduced thus far in the 2021-22 Legislative Session. Legislative Committee members reviewed over 70 new measures of interest to local health departments. Many of these new legislative measures have now been added to the CHEAC Weekly Bill Chart, which is available here. Below, we detail several of those measures:
Cannabis – Medical/Adult Use
AB 1034 (Bloom) as amended March 4, 2021 – WATCH
Assembly Member Richard Bloom has reintroduced a bill to allow for cannabis consumption lounges. This version will allow local jurisdictions to allow the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of cannabis or cannabis products on the premises of a licensed cannabis or microbusiness retailer and the preparation or sale of noncannabis food or beverage products so long as certain requirements are met such as age restrictions (over 21), consumption is not visible to the public, and the sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is prohibited.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Wellness Promotion
AB 1163 (Nazarian) as introduced February 18, 2021 – SUPPORT
AB 1163 by Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian would repeal the existing statutory prohibition on local jurisdictions’ authority to enact new taxes on groceries, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Recall, as part of a 2018 budget agreement struck between the Brown Administration, the Business Roundtable group, and labor organizations, local jurisdictions are prohibited from imposing new taxes on groceries until January 2031. AB 1163 is sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, California Dental Association, Public Health Advocates, and Public Health Institute.
AB 1197 (Quirk-Silva) as introduced February 18, 2021 – SUPPORT
AB 1197 by Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva would revise nutrition standards for school breakfasts and lunches to be more stringent than current federal requirements related to sodium, whole grains, and added sugars. The measure is sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association.
SB 464 (Hurtado) as introduced February 16, 2021 – SUPPORT
Senator Melissa Hurtado’s SB 464 would modernize the existing California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) by recasting eligibility criteria to include noncitizens meeting all CalFresh eligibility criteria except for requirements related to immigration status beginning January 2023. SB 464 is sponsored by the California Immigrant Policy Center.
Communicable Disease Control
AB 814 (Levine) as introduced February 16, 2021 – WATCH
AB 814 is a reintroduction of Assembly Member Marc Levine’s AB 661 from last year. This measure requires that any contact tracing data collected not be used, maintained, or disclosed for any purpose other than for facilitating contact tracing efforts. AB 814 also prohibits law enforcement officials from engaging in contact tracing.
SB 744 (Glazer) as introduced February 19, 2021 – OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED
Senator Glazer’s SB 744 would require CDPH to collect and make publicly available, by county, information obtained from healthcare providers on incidences of communicable respiratory viruses collected from the Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR). Individual case reports must include additional data points. CHEAC will be joining our health officer colleagues in requesting an amendment to ensure that CMR data, even when de-identified, remains confidential.
Health Coverage/Health Care Reform
AB 1400 (Kalra) as introduced February 19, 2021 – SPECIAL INTEREST BILL
Assembly Member Ash Kalra, and joined by several fellow Assembly Members and Senators, has introduced AB 1400 to create the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, or CalCare, providing health care coverage to all California residents, regardless of their citizenship status. This bill is sponsored by the California Nurses Association.
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Services
AB 1046 (Rubio) as introduced February 18, 2021 – SUPPORT
AB 1046 by Assembly Member Blanca Rubio requires the California Health and Human Services (CHHS) Agency to consult with stakeholders to improve the state and counties’ abilities to draw down Medi-Cal funding for evidence-based maternal-infant and early childhood home visiting encounters. The measure specifies stakeholders to be consulted, including developers of the California Home Visiting and CalWORKs Home Visiting programs, LHD divisions, human services, and behavioral health services, among others. AB 1046 is sponsored by Nurse-Family Partnership.
Public Health Emergency Preparedness
AB 805 (Maienschein) as introduced February 16, 2021 – WATCH WITH CONCERNS
This measure from Assembly Member Brian Maienschein would require medical health operational area coordinators (MHOACs) to report specified personal protective equipment (PPE) data weekly to CalOES during any health-related state of emergency in California. In addition, under normal conditions, MHOACs will be required to report PPE information to CalOES on a monthly basis.
SB 448 (Melendez) as introduced February 16, 2021 – OPPOSE
SB 448, authored by Senator Melissa Melendez, would require all emergency orders issued by the state or local governments to be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling public health or safety purpose and be limited in duration. The measure also requires that no emergency order to infringe upon express constitutional rights in a nontrivial manner such as freedom of assembly or religion.
Vital Statistics
AB 751 (Irwin) as introduced February 16, 2021 – SUPPORT
AB 751, by Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin, proposed to delete the sunset provision in statute allowing local registrars to accept an electronic acknowledgement, sworn under penalty of perjury, that the requester of a marriage, birth, or death certificate is an authorized person. Also adds additional security requirements adhering to national standards. This measure is sponsored by the County Clerks Association.
Meanwhile, Senate policy committees began in earnest meeting to hear their bills this week. As we’ve noted in previous updates, policy committees are only able to meet in a few existing large hearing rooms given distancing restrictions and their respective legislative chambers. Of interest to CHEAC members, three legislative bills CHEAC supports were heard in the Senate Health Committee this week and are listed below:
Access to Health Services
SB 316 (Eggman) as introduced February 4, 2021 – SUPPORT
Senator Eggman’s SB 316, that authorizes reimbursement for a maximum of two visits on the same day at the same federally qualified health center (FQHC) or rural health center (RHC) under certain conditions, passed out of the Senate Health Committee on a 11-0 vote. The measure now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Health Coverage/Health Care Reform
SB 56 (Durazo) as amended March 1, 2021 – SUPPORT
SB 56, by Senator Maria Elena Durazo, would expand, effective July 2022, Medi-Cal to all undocumented adults 65 years of age and older with incomes at or below 138% FPL, subject to a state budget appropriation. After lengthy testimony from a myriad of advocacy groups in support of this bill, SB 56 was approved by the Senate Health Committee on a 9-2 vote and moves on to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 326 (Pan) as introduced February 5, 2021 – SUPPORT
SB 326, authored by Senator Pan, eliminates all federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) statutory “tie-backs,” and codifies ACA health insurance reform provisions in CA law such as the ten essential health benefits and prohibitions on imposing any pre-existing conditions requirements. This measure moved out of Committee on a 11-0 vote and moves on to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
This week, the Assembly convened hearings related to health coverage, Medi-Cal, and behavioral health. Below, we provide a high-level summary of these hearings of interest:
Budget Subcommittee No. 1 Considers Health-Related Investments
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday convened a hearing to review proposed investments under the authority of the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Covered California, the California Health and Human Services (CHHS) Agency, and the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC). Among investments considered by the subcommittee were the state’s Medi-Cal budget, delays in suspensions of Proposition 56 and Medi-Cal adult optional benefits, and continuous glucose monitoring coverage.
Subcommittee members received presentations from representatives from DHCS and Covered California, as well as the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). All items were held open for action at a later date.
The hearing agenda is available here. A video recording of the hearing is available here.
Joint Hearing on CalAIM Behavioral Health Proposals
On Tuesday, the Assembly Health Committee and the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 convened a joint informational hearing to assess the behavioral health components of the proposed California Advancing and Improving Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Initiative.
The hearing featured a brief overview of the proposed programmatic and policy changes from the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and included input from various representatives, including from the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California (CBHDA) and the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies. The joint hearing covered numerous areas related to behavioral health services, such as changes to behavioral health medical necessity criteria and specialty mental health services, behavioral health payment reform, Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS), and full integration plans, among other topics.
Next week, the Assembly Health Committee and Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 will convene another joint informational hearing to review the Medi-Cal eligibility, benefits, and managed care components of the CalAIM Initiative.
The agenda from Tuesday’s hearing is available here. A background paper on the subject is available here. A video recording of the hearing is accessible here.
On Tuesday evening, Governor Gavin Newsom delivered his annual State of the State Address from Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles County. Breaking from tradition, Newsom’s address was not held at the State Capitol and was the first to be delivered remotely. The Governor’s selection of Dodgers Stadium was symbolic in that the stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 55,000 – nearly the same number of Californians who have died from COVID-19 over the past year. Too, Dodgers Stadium now serves as one of the nation’s largest COVID-19 community vaccination sites.
Governor Newsom dedicated the bulk of his address to highlighting his Administration’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting on the lives lost and recognizing Californians who have played an essential role in delivering critical services during the pandemic, including health care workers, education personnel, and more. The Governor discussed the urgent relief the state is providing to residents hardest hit by the pandemic, supports for small businesses, and the recently enacted deal to safely reopen schools statewide. Governor Newsom additionally outlined the state’s work ahead in reemerging from the pandemic and ensuring equitable opportunities for all Californians.
A copy of the Governor’s remarks is available here. A video recording of the address is available here.
Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Californians in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index (HPI), increasing immunity where the state’s transmission rates and disease burden have been the highest during the pandemic. With this equity metric met, the previously announced update to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy that accounts for progress in vaccine administration now goes into effect.
After reassessment using the update’s new thresholds, 13 counties will move to a less restrictive tier, from Purple (Widespread) to Red (Substantial): Amador, Colusa, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Mono, Orange, Placer, San Benito, San Bernardino, Siskiyou, Sonoma, and Tuolumne. 21 counties will remain in the Purple (Widespread) tier, 33 will be in the Red (Substantial) tier, three remain in the Orang (moderate) tier, and one remains in the Yellow (Minimal) tier. These updates will take effect this coming Sunday, March 14.
CDPH additionally indicated it expects 13 additional counties to shift from Purple to Red based on current data and projections: Sacramento, San Diego, Kings, Lake, Monterey, Riverside, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura, and Yuba. These tier adjustments will be assigned on Tuesday and take effect on Wednesday. There is potential for additional counties to move tiers next week based on the upcoming Blueprint tier assessment and assignment.
Under the state’s equity metric, the Purple tier threshold will now be based on grater than 10 cases per 100,000 people. The Blueprint will also again be updated once the state reaches four million doses administered among the lowest HPI quartile statewide.
A news release on the latest Blueprint update from CDPH is available here.
This week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued two significant updates related to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. These announcements are detailed below:
Blueprint Updates to Allow Additional Activities
CDPH updated public health guidance in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy to allow for additional safe and sustainable reopening activities statewide. These updates include:
- Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries: Beginning March 13, breweries, wineries, and distilleries that do not serve meals may open outdoors only with modifications in the Purple (widespread) and Red (substantial) tiers. The updated guidance requires that patrons make reservations and observe a 90-minute time limit. Service for on-site consumption must end by 8:00 pm. In the Orange (moderate) tier, indoor operations may begin with 25 percent of maximum capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. In the Yellow (minimal) tier, indoor operations may increase to 50 percent of maximum capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer. The updated guidance does not apply to breweries, wineries, or distilleries that provide meals.
- Bars: Beginning March 13, bars that do not serve meals remain closed in the Purple (widespread) and Red (substantial) tiers. In the Orange (moderate) tier, bars may begin outdoor operations with modifications. In the Yellow (minimal) tier, bars may begin indoor operations with modifications of 25 percent maximum capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
- Overnight Sleepaway Camps: Beginning June 1, overnight sleepaway camps will be allowed to resume operations with modifications in the Red, Orange, and Yellow tiers.
Vaccine Eligibility Continues to Expand
CDPH additionally this week issued guidance on prioritized populations eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Of note, individuals in specified settings, including those who reside or work in a high-risk congregate residential setting (e.g., correctional facility, homeless shelter, behavioral health facility) will be eligible to receive a vaccine beginning March 15. The state’s updated guidance additionally includes public transit, airport, and commercial airline employees in the prioritized populations to be eligible to receive a vaccine beginning March 15.
These populations are in addition to the previously announced eligibility expansion to individuals with high-risk underlying health conditions or a developmental or high-risk disability.
An updated provider bulletin is available here. A fact sheet for the public is available here. The full updated COVID-19 vaccine eligibility guidelines are accessible here.
On Thursday evening, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. addressed the nation on the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, commemorating the over 500,000 lives lost in the U.S. and outlining additional federal efforts to end the pandemic. President Biden detailed the following steps to return the nation closer to normal by this coming Independence Day:
- All Adults to Become Eligible for Vaccine by May 1: President Biden directed all states, tribes, and territories to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine no later than May 1. The White House COVID-19 Response Team has determined that accelerated vaccination efforts will enable prioritized vaccinations to be far enough along by the end of April that all eligibility restrictions for vaccinations can be lifted by May 1.
- Governor Newsom Statement: Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday evening issued a statement on the President’s announcement to expand COVID-19 vaccine access, indicating his Administration looks “forward to learning more about the President’s plan and working together to make this important goal a reality.”
- Community Health Center Vaccination Expansion: The Biden-Harris Administration, over the next six weeks, will deliver vaccines directly to up to an additional 700 community health centers that reach underserved communities, increasing the total number of participating community health centers across the country to 950. These health centers serve low-income and minority patients, provide services to rural and tribal communities, and many will utilize mobile vans to deliver services. Additional information is available here.
- Pharmacy Vaccine Supply: The Administration will double the number of pharmacies participating in the federal pharmacy program, making the vaccine available at more than 20,000 pharmacies in locations convenient to all Americans. The Administration is additionally directing pharmacies to expand mobile operations into hardest hit communities to reach more people.
- Community Vaccination Centers: The Administration will more than double the number of federally run mass vaccination centers operated by FEMA, the U.S. Military, and other federal agencies in partnerships with states. Many of the community vaccination centers will be home base for mobile units that will travel into local communities to provide vaccines directly in underserved communities.
- Increasing the Number of Vaccinators: President Biden has directed the deployment of more than 4,000 active-duty troops to support vaccination efforts, bringing the total to over 6,000 in all. The Administration is also expanding the pool of qualified professionals able to administer vaccines, including dentists, emergency medical technicians, midwives, optometrists, paramedics, physician assistants, podiatrists, respiratory therapists, veterinarians, as well as medical students, nursing students, and other health professions students under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a website to help individuals determine whether they are eligible to sign up to volunteer to administer vaccines.
- Tools to Make it Easier for Individuals to Find a Vaccine: The Biden-Harris Administration will be rolling out additional features to make it easier for individuals to find a vaccine near them. The Administration will be launching a federally supported website that will show vaccination locations, a 1-800 number call center, and a technical support team to assist states in improving their vaccination websites.
- Clarifying Guidance on Vaccinated Americans: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to issue clear guidance for individuals on what they can do after being fully vaccinated. The CDC will provide public health guidance related to travel, small gatherings, work, and places of worship as the nation nears Independence Day. The CDC guidance and messaging will also make clear the benefits of vaccinations to encourage more Americans to receive a vaccine.
- School Reopening Efforts: President Biden identified a series of additional federal actions to support the safe reopening of schools throughout the country. These efforts include additional financial support for schools to pay for critical supplies and school modifications, expanded regular COVID-19 testing, education-related guidance and support, and education personnel vaccinations.
- COVID-19 Variants and Surveillance: The Biden-Harris Administration is additionally expanding community-based COVID-19 testing to better monitor cases nationwide. Additionally, the Administration will be dramatically expanding genomic sequencing, allowing the CDC to more quickly detect emerging virus variants and work to mitigate their spread.
The full announcement from the White House is available here.
Quadrilateral Partnership on COVID-19 Vaccines
In addition to the above actions, the Biden-Harris Administration today announced a partnership with Australia, India, and Japan to expand safe, affordable, and effective COVID-19 vaccine production and equitable access, to speed economic recovery, and benefit global health. The quadrilateral partnership will work to strengthen equitable vaccine access among countries in the Indo-Pacific and will work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and COVAX. Additional information the quadrilateral partnership is available here.
Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed into law the American Rescue Plan (ARP), an expansive new stimulus measure that will send out a third-round of stimulus payments for most Americans. In addition, the legislation, broadly speaking, will provide additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), appropriates funding to closed restaurants and theater venues nationwide, provides an additional extension of unemployment insurance, provides additional funding to reopen elementary and secondary schools, and the package includes funding for hard-hit state and local governments.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued a statement applauding the American Rescue Plan, indicating the act “will help California roar back from this pandemic.”
Of particular interest to local health departments, the ARP will provide:
- $46 billion in funding to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement a national, evidence-based strategy for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and mitigation of COVID-19 infections. This includes additional funding for state and local health departments.
- $7.5 billion in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support vaccine related activities to prepare, promote, distribute, administer, monitor, and track COVID-19 vaccines. This includes supplemental funding for state and local health departments.
- $7.66 billion in funding to state, local and territorial public health departments to establish, expand, and sustain their public health workforce.
- $1.8 billion for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and mitigation activities in congregate settings such as prisons, jails, detentions centers, correctional, detention, psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and other residential care facilities.
- $490 million for the USDA to increase the amount of the cash-value voucher provided under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to up to $35 during the pandemic.
- $500 million in Community Facility Program funding to provide assistance to rural hospitals and local communities to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines & food assistance.
- $130 billion for payments to cities and counties to mitigate the fiscal effects from the pandemic.
CHEAC Staff are working on a more in-depth analysis of the ARP. In the interim, NACCHO has prepared a high-level overview, accessible here.
On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first set of public health guidance for fully vaccinated individuals against COVID-19. The guidance is anticipated to be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of COVID-19, the proportion of the population fully vaccinated, and the rapidly evolving science on COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the CDC, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 after at least two weeks have passed since receiving the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer and Moderna vaccines) or at least two weeks after receiving a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine).
Under the new guidance, fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
Fully vaccinated people are advised to continue taking precautions when in public, including wearing a well-fitted mask and physically distancing, avoiding medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings, and getting tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
The full CDC guidance is available here.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the latest guidance, facilities should allow responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status of the resident or visitor, unless certain scenarios arise that would limit visitation for:
- Unvaccinated residents, if the COVID-19 county positivity rate is greater than 10 percent and less than 70 percent of facility residents are fully vaccinated;
- Residents with confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met the criteria to discontinue transmission-based precautions; or
- Residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine.
The updated guidance additionally emphasizes that “compassionate care” visits should be allowed at all times, regardless of a resident’s vaccination status, the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate, or an outbreak. Compassionate care visits include visits for a resident whose health has sharply declined or is experiencing a significant change in circumstances.
This latest guidance comes as more than three million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered within nursing homes, in part due to the CDC’s Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program.
The updated CMS guidance for nursing homes is available here.
The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) this week released its report Ready or Not 2021: Protecting the Public’s Health Against Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism providing an annual assessment of states’ level of readiness to respond to public health emergencies. The report measures states’ performance on 10 key emergency preparedness indicators and found room for improvement in every jurisdiction. California falls in the middle tier of preparedness with 14 other states.
While the report’s findings do not measure any state’s COVID-19 response, the report demonstrates that while states’ readiness is important, national health emergencies on the scale of a pandemic require strong federal leadership and coordination and long-term investment in public health infrastructure and workforce. States alone, even those that rank highly in the report, are not sufficiently equipped to respond to a pandemic without federal assistance.
TFAH’s key findings from its 2021 report include:
- A majority of states have made preparations to expand health care and public health capabilities in an emergency, often through collaboration and resource sharing.
- Most states are accredited in the areas of public health, emergency management, or both. As of December 2020, the Public Health Accreditation Board or the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) accredited 42 states and the District of Columbia.
- Approximately 95 percent of people who get their household water through a community water system had access to safe water.
- Seasonal flu vaccination rates, while still low, have risen significantly. The seasonal flu vaccination rate among Americans age six months and older rose from 42 percent during the 2017-18 flu season to 52 percent during the 2019-20 season, but vaccination rates are still well below the 70 percent target established by Healthy People 2030.
- In 2019, only 55 percent of employed people used paid time off, the same percentage as in 2018. Those without paid leave are more likely to work when they are sick and risk spreading infection.
TFAH outlines a number policy recommendations to better prepare for public health emergencies. These recommendations include:
- Provide stable, sufficient funding for domestic and global public health security.
- Strengthen policies and systems to prevent and respond to outbreaks and pandemics.
- Build resilient communities and promote health equity generally and in preparedness.
- Ensure effective public health leadership, coordination, and workforce.
- Accelerate development and distribution, including last mile distribution, of medical countermeasures.
- Strengthen the health system’s ability to respond and recover during and from health emergencies.
- Prepare for environmental threats and extreme weather.
The full TFAH Ready or Not report is available here.
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has launched its call for nominations for the 2021-22 NACCHO Board of Directors. NACCHO is currently seeking candidates for Vice President, a Regional Representative, and a Tribal Representative.
Additional information on available positions and the nomination process is available here. Nominations close on Monday, April 5, 2021.
This week, a group of California public health organizations joined forces to form the “Committee to Protect California Kids” to lead the effort to oppose the 2022 ballot measure to overturn the flavored tobacco ban enacted through SB 793 (Hill) in 2020.
The Committee includes the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Patients Against Vaping E-Cigarettes, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The Committee is Co-Chaired by Board of Equalization Member Malia Cohen, and the Committee anticipates receiving support from a broad range of organizations and individuals in California.
Additional information on the Committee is available here.
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative today issued a newly developed resource, entitled “Strategies for Trauma-Informed School Communities: Practices to Improve Resiliency in School-Aged Children and Address Adverse Childhood Experiences.”
The resource is intended to assist state and local public health programs, child-serving systems, non-profits, and philanthropic organizations in their efforts to education about the need for trauma-informed school policies and practices that improve resiliency among school-age children and youth.
The resource is available here.
The California Department of Aging (CDA) on Wednesday, April 7 from 10:00 am to 1100 am will convene a webinar as part of its Ensuring Equity in Aging series, entitled, “Culturally Informed Policy and Programs with and for Latino Older Adults.” The webinar will feature representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California for a discussion on how to build community, provide culturally responsive services and support, and create opportunities with and for Latino older adults in California.
Additional information, including registration, is available here.