Ellen Wu
Blog Post List
October 1, 2013
Today is the first day of an exciting opportunity! This morning, Covered California officially began its six-month open enrollment period and approximately 2.7 million Californians are now able to enroll in affordable health coverage. This is the most sweeping coverage expansion in generations, and our state's communities of color have the most to gain. Fully two-thirds of the newly eligible come from these communities, and over a million speak English less than very well. We at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) have worked closely with Covered California to make sure that...
MomsRising
Together
February 21, 2013
It’s amazing how much technology has advanced in just 15 years. Back in the mid-1990s, the internet was new and everyone was still learning how to use it. Flash forward to today, and you might be reading this blog on your phone! While enormous medical and technological advancements have been made over the last century, it is only very recently that there have been similar rates of development in health information technology (HIT). These developments have a lot of potential, but in order to effectively improve health care for all, HIT implementation must respond to the needs of all...
MomsRising
Together
December 10, 2012
The landmark health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a tremendous starting point for improving the health of communities of color in California and across the country. But to truly achieve lasting progress in the fight against health disparities, we need comprehensive reform of our immigration policies. As advocates, we should celebrate the ACA and be active during its implementation so that everyone who’s eligible for coverage are enrolled in coverage. However, the ACA also highlights the importance of changing the way we as a nation approach immigration...
MomsRising
Together
September 25, 2012
We have long known that communities with higher rates of poverty and unsafe school conditions face sizeable barriers to leading healthy, successful lives. To provide data that illustrates the intersection between our surroundings and our health, we developed a new series of fact sheets, Spotlight on Children’s Health. We analyzed data from the nine California counties with the highest numbers of communities of color — Alameda , Fresno , Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside , Sacramento , San Bernardino , San Diego , and Santa Clara — to better understand how living with higher rates of poverty...
MomsRising
Together
September 13, 2012
And we’ve had a landmark 20th year! We started the year with the release of our study, Achieving Equity by Building a Bridge from Eligible to Enrolled , which put numbers to the importance of cultural and linguistic appropriate outreach by the newly established Health Benefit Exchange. We’re happy to report that the study has been used by the Exchange to inform their marketing and outreach plans. We also updated the Landscape of Opportunity: Cultivating Health Equity in California . This report paints a picture of how the environments where we live and work impact our health, with maps,...
MomsRising
Together
March 28, 2012
With diabetes and obesity rates still on the rise, CPEHN will be tackling one of the leading causes of these chronic conditions at our spring convenings, An Appetite for Equity: Ensuring Access to Healthy Foods . Making healthy foods more available can greatly improve health in California’s low-income areas and communities of color. At the convening, we’ll have great presentations and networking opportunities for advocates and community members working to improve the health of all Californians by reducing rates of obesity and diabetes. I’m excited to announce that Karen Ross, Secretary of the...
MomsRising
Together
March 12, 2012
Our Equity and the ACA webinar series got off to a great start in January with a presentation from Peter Lee of the California Health Benefit Exchange, and our next web forum promises to be equally interesting and informative. Of the 6.7 million Californians eligible for Medi-Cal and tax credits in the Health Benefit Exchange through the ACA, about 70% (4.73 million) are people of color and approximately 40% (2.56 million) speak English less than very well. These statistics demonstrate the imperative for the implementation of health care reform to address the unique needs of our diverse...
MomsRising
Together
March 7, 2012
Our latest report put numbers to what we already knew – communities of color have the most to gain from the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Achieving Equity by Building a Bridge from Eligible to Enrolled , developed in partnership with UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education , highlights that of the 2.6 million Californians eligible for tax credits in California’s Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange), 67% (approximately 1.73 million) will be people of color and 40% (about 1.06 million) will speak English less than...
MomsRising
Together
January 26, 2012
CPEHN began its Equity and the ACA webinar series earlier today. We were very fortunate to have Peter Lee, Executive Director of the California Health Benefit Exchange, as our first presenter. The event, Equity and the ACA: Establishing the California Health Benefit Exchange , featured an informative presentation and a question and answer session with participants from across the state. Lee began by discussing different components of the Affordable Care Act and its potential to improve the lives of millions of uninsured Californians. Of California’s approximately 5 million uninsured, 76...
MomsRising
Together
January 5, 2012
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has the potential to greatly improve the health of communities of color in California. Following the excellent turnout at our convening series in November, Seizing the Opportunity: Achieving Equity in Health Reform , many participants said they would like a way to stay regularly informed and engaged. In response, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) is launching a new initiative – the Equity and the ACA webinar series! Through 2012, these regular online forums will give you the opportunity to interact with key policymakers and...
MomsRising
Together
June 10, 2011
At this critical time for California’s safety-net programs, I am honored to have been appointed by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to serve on the state’s Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB). MRMIB oversees the Healthy Families Program, which provides low-cost health, dental, and vision coverage to children in low-wage families. MRMIB also oversees four other programs benefiting low-income Californians, the elderly and disabled: Access for Infants and Mothers Program, County Health Initiative Matching Fund Program, Major Risk Medical Insurance Program, and the Pre-existing...
MomsRising
Together
June 3, 2011
California Governor Jerry Brown pays a visit to the Strategic Growth Council. The regular meeting of California's Strategic Growth Council (SGC) took an interesting turn this week when Governor Jerry Brown decided to stop in for a visit. “What’s on the agenda?” Brown quipped when he stepped in the conference room. Created in September 2008, the SGC works on improving the health of California by protecting our natural resources, improving housing and transportation, and assisting state and local entities in the planning of sustainable communities. The SGC had just heard testimony from Linda...
MomsRising
Together
March 24, 2011
The United States Department of Health and Human Services unveiled its Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations . This strategy of prevention coincides with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to create a generation of healthier children in America. By aligning the food available at its facilities with the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, HHS has developed a model that will serve as the framework for similar efforts to provide healthy options here in California and across the country. Offering healthier food options creates...
MomsRising
Together
March 2, 2011
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has already had a huge impact on the health of millions of Americans. While most of the attention has been paid on the ACA’s provisions that expand access to health care, the law also opens doors for many more Americans in underserved communities to pursue careers in the health industry. The ACA includes funds for scholarships and student loan repayment to incentivize medical providers to work in areas that do not have enough health professionals. By alleviating some of the financial burden for medical school, it will hopefully provide...
MomsRising
Together
February 1, 2011
On January 10th, Governor Jerry Brown released an 18-month proposed budget plan aimed at closing a $25.4 billion shortfall for fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12. The plan calls for a 5-year extension of tax increases previously approved under the Schwarzenegger Administration as well as $12.5 billion in painful cuts, including $1.7 billion from Medi-Cal and $1.5 billion from the CalWORKs program. The budget plan leaves K-12 education primarily intact but includes further cuts to higher education and a significant realignment proposal that would transfer responsibility for running certain state...
MomsRising
Together
March 24, 2010
New America Media, Q&A with Ellen Wu, Aaron Glantz, Posted: Mar 24, 2010 // Editor’s Note: The health reform legislation signed yesterday by President Obama is a “really big win for communities of color,” according to Ellen Wu, MPH, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. She was interviewed by NAM editor Aaron Glantz. What does the health care bill Obama just signed mean for communities of color? Because communities of color are the most likely to be uninsured, we will benefit the most from this legislation. Based on our analysis, 81 percent of African Americans...
MomsRising
Together
March 23, 2010
On February 24, I attended California Governor Schwarzenegger's Summit on Health, Nutrition, and Obesity: Actions for a Healthy Living, with special guest President Bill Clinton. At the Summit the Governor described his platform for fighting obesity and promoting a healthier California: Restricting the sale of sports drinks in schools Requiring water to be available in school cafeterias Mandating vigorous physical activity in PE and after school programs and supporting joint use agreements that would allow community members access to school facilities Promoting safe routes so youth can walk...
MomsRising
Together