http://www.lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/index en vcalderon@lahealthaction.org Copyright 2012 2012-05-16T22:04:34-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3915/ Report ranking California counties according to their summary measures of health outcomes and health factors. This information may then be applied to the County Health Roadmaps, a new partnership that mobilizes local communities, national partners and leaders across all sectors to improve health. Health Status and Issues, Death Rates, Maternal and Child Health, Communicable Diseases, Chronic Conditions, Health Behaviors, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities 2012-04-04T16:39:03-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3913/ Summary presenting the discussions, concerns, and recommendations from the 2011 LA Health Collaborative meetings. The Collaborative is a coalition of more than 80 public and private organizations dedicated to improving the health care safety net and community health in Los Angeles County. The Collaborative is a neutral discussion forum on county-generated health policies and a platform for initiating broader innovations that convenes county government, health plans, community clinics, hospitals, labor, physicians, business, patient advocates, and academicians. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Delivery Systems, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Chronic Conditions, Health Behaviors, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities, Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver 2012-04-04T01:55:04-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3919/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors on initiating contracts with 17 existing legal entity contractors for the delivery of enhanced integrated mental health services in school health centers and/or school campuses. The memorandum includes the funding and implementation strategy for DMH. School-based health centers are a proven cost effective means for providing a range of quality health services to children, adolescents and at-risk youth and at preventing worsened chronic conditions, inappropriate emergency room use and avoidable hospitalizations. Expanding the contracts builds upon the ongoing relationships between schools and mental health providers. DMH will honor existing collaborative relationships that have been formalized through a previous operational agreement. Health Care Delivery Systems, Ambulatory Care, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Health Behaviors, Children's Health and Coverage 2012-03-15T17:02:14-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3868/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors advising on the intent of DPH to enter into sole source agreements with approximately $1.535,180 for the provision of Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program with at-risk communities in L.A. County. This funding will allow DPH to provide effective delivery of family support services to pregnant women, their newborns, young children, and families. Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities 2012-03-02T23:06:29-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3792/ Report examining children's health insurance coverage in the United States from 2008-2010. During this time, the children's uninsurance rate fell 14%, while the uninsurance rate for adults rose 12.8%. California's rate of uninsured children went from 10% in 2008 to 9% in 2010 dropping 1.0% over the 3-year time period. However, California has one of the highest number of uninsured children with 832,752 children uninsured in the state. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-11-30T18:21:27-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3799/ Memorandum from L.A. County DHS to the Board of Supervisors providing a status report on the two-year pilot program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (H-UCLA MC), modeled after a program called the Infant Safe Sleeping and Abusive Head Trauma Pilot educating hospital staff, parents, and caregivers on safe sleeping practices, proper handling of fragile infants and the risks of shaking newborns via educational pamphlets, videos and teaching at the hospital. The L.A. County Coroner's Department reported that 140 infants died in the last two years in teh County because of unsafe sleeping practices. Memorandum includes information on a proposed budget, protential funding sources, implementation plan and timeline for the pilot program. Health Care Delivery Systems, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-11-16T17:56:02-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3756/ Report discussing California's progress in its battle with childhood obesity. California saw a 1.1% drop in the percentage of overweight and obese children from 2005 to 2010. Although there is progress, 38% of California children are still affected, a rate nearly three times higher than it was 30 years ago. In 2010, 41.56% of Los Angeles' fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders were overweight or obese, a 2.5% decrease since 2005. Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Chronic Conditions, Health Behaviors 2011-11-09T19:36:17-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3655/ Policy brief analyzing Census Bureau data that shows California's poverty rate rose to 16.3% in 2010--its highest point in 13 years--in which children accounted for more than one out of three Californians living in poverty. Data also shows that more than one out of five Californians under the age of 65 (21.4%) lacked health coverage in 2010, compared to 19.6% in 2006, and the share of Californians under the age of 65 with job-based health coverage was 52.9%in 2010, down from 56.4% in 2006. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Employment-based Health Insurance, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities 2011-09-13T19:16:15-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3598/ Memorandum providing an update on 13 County-advocacy measures heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 17, 2011. The Committee will review items placed on the suspense file by August 26, 2011 to determine which measures will move forward. County-supported S8 161 (Huff), which as amended on July 13, 2011, would allow, in the absence of a school nurse, non-medical school personnel who have received training on a voluntary basis to administer anti-seizure medication to students having epileptic seizures. Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-08-19T19:51:52-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3591/ Report providing nationwide data on the well-being of children including information on educational progress and access to healthcare. The proportion of middle-income children without health insurance declined from 20 percent to 10 percent between 1985 and 2008 due to increases in Medicaid eligibility and the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). However, in 2008, an estimated 11.9 parents with children under age 18 lacked health insurance coverage. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-08-18T16:33:25-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3595/ Memorandum from the L.A. County Chief Executive Office (CEO) to the Board of Supervisors providing an update on the pursuit of legislation of County interest. AB 6 (Fuentes) which would eliminate the Statewide Fingerprint Imaging System for cash assistance programs, change CalWORKs and CalFresh reporting requirements from a quarterly to a semi-annual reporting period, and establish a utility assistance initiative for CalFresh beneficiaries. AB 727 (Mitchell) would require at least 50 percent of food and beverages sold in vending machines or in cafeterias in State-owned or leased buildings to meet acceptable nutritional guidelines. AB 959 (Jones) would provide a one-month grace period to participants in the CalWORKS and CalFresh programs for filing required quarterly reports in order to avoid re-application. AB 1297 (Beall) would conform State claiming and reimbursement for specialty mental health services to Federal Medicaid regulations. Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Chronic Conditions, Health Behaviors 2011-08-17T19:31:37-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3515/ Policy brief on the effects of food environments near home and school on adolescent consumption of soda and fast food. Adolescents who live and go to school in areas with more fast food restaurants and convenience stores than healthier food outlets such as grocery stores are more likely to consume soda and fast food than teens who live and go to school in areas with healthier food environments. Among Los Angeles teens, 58% drink one or more sodas a day and 45% eat fast food at least twice a week. Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Health Behaviors 2011-07-28T15:56:37-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3491/ Memorandum from the L.A. County Chief Executive Office (CEO) to the Board of Supervisors containing the plan for implementing the County's Integrated School Health Center (ISHC) projects and next steps for implementation which consists of convening a County Workgroup to develop performance measures and evaluation mechanisms; create a shared data collection process; ensure that County data-sharing efforts such as the Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services - Health Information Exchange are incorporated into the implementation of the Plan, and align existing/emerging County and non-County resources and initiatives in support of County ISHC projects. Health Care Delivery Systems, Ambulatory Care, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-07-06T18:45:51-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3479/ Summary of the California budget signed by the Governor including a total of $14.6 billion in real cuts and $2.5 billion in reduced expenditures. Medi-Cal will face a reduction of over $1.5 billion by limiting care, increasing cost sharing and reducing payments to doctors and providers by 10%. Healthy Families will be reduced $38.5 million and increase co-pays and premiums. State Budget, Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-07-01T19:59:11-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3434/ Report providing state-by-state data on estimated participation cuts in FY 2012 relative to participation in March 2011 due to large cuts in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program that the House Appropriations Committee approved, forcing WIC to turn away 200,000 to 350,000 eligible low-income women and young children next year. State Budget, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-06-08T17:42:39-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3427/ Policy brief exploring several scenarios in which children may face particular challenges in accessing health insurance coverage and estimates the number of children for whom each scenario applies and considers whether these populations require additional attention in order to make the changes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) function most effectively for them. An awareness of the special circumstances of these children as regulations are developed and the law is implemented will help ensure they are able to access health insurance coverage under reform. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Employment-based Health Insurance, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities, Children's Health and Coverage 2011-05-31T19:11:49-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3433/ Policy brief examining physical education (PE) and physical activity amongst adolescents in California using data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Findings include that only 42 percent of California teens report participating in PE on a daily basis, and more than 80 percent of all teens fail to meet the current federal recommendations for physical activity. Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health, Chronic Conditions, Health Behaviors 2011-05-31T17:03:19-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3431/ Summary providing an overview of the California Legislature's Budget Conference Committee March 2011 budget which includes: $1.5 billion cut to Medi-Cal, 10% reduction to Medi-Cal provider payments, a cap of 7 doctor and clinic visits per year and new copayments for Californians with Medi-Cal coverage. Healthy Families, the State Children’s Health Insurance (SCHIP) in California will see a $38.5 million reduction, increase in monthly premiums and a raise in emergency room co-payments. Summary also provides information on the Governor's May Revision. State Budget, Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Financing, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-05-19T19:41:08-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3421/ Report evaluating states' ability to serve insured and soon-to-be-insured children that shows while many states improved their performance on one of more of Pew's policy benchmarks since 2010, too many still fall short and require policies that meaningfully improve children's access to care. California is below the national benchmark with 38.9% of low-income children receiving dental services in 2009. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-05-18T17:39:37-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3455/ Report outlining California’s existing public programs for children and examines how they might interface with the Exchange. Over the course of the year, there are roughly one million uninsured California children. At any given point in time, 600,000 are uninsured. Over 60% are eligible for either Medi-Cal or Healthy Families but are not enrolled. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Status and Issues, Maternal and Child Health 2011-05-15T19:25:39-08:00