February 2017

More of Los Angeles County’s women now have medical insurance, are employed, don’t smoke and are less likely to die of breast cancer or heart disease, according to a report released Wednesday. But an increased number also live in poverty, are homeless and have difficulty accessing health care. The concluding message behind the data compiled in a triennial report by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is that while many gains have been made for women in the last several years,...

At first glance, jails and prisons may not seem like the best environment for a mindfulness program. The noise level alone can be unsettling, let alone the windowless, cinder block walls. But John Eby turned that notion on its head. Instead, he asked, what better place could there be for a mindfulness class? In 2014, Eby, a psychotherapist who has worked for many years with Nevada County’s incarcerated and mentally ill, introduced an eight-week pilot mindfulness program in the jail at the...

California’s 1,100 miles of coastal beaches, many with soft sand and great waves and fun piers, are among the state’s greatest assets, destinations for locals and visitors alike. But new research shows that for many Californians the beach is out of reach. While the beach itself is intended to be free or inexpensive, ancillary expenses and social barriers often make it tough for low-income residents to enjoy a day on the sand. This week, legislation was introduced in Sacramento aimed at...

As fears mount about a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, a growing number of California school districts are trying to reassure students they will be able to attend school without the intrusion of federal authorities. Last week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson again urged school leaders throughout the state to declare their districts “safe havens” to protect immigrant children. In December, he urged district leaders to use Sacramento Unified’s “safe...

A wide-ranging study of youth incarceration in California outlines what it calls the debilitating effects on the health of teens, their families and society when youthful offenders are tried and sentenced as adults. “ Juvenile Injustice ,” from Human Impact Partners , concludes that laws designed to try youth in adult courts not only fail to curtail recidivism but are so inherently flawed and biased that the entire approach must be scrapped. Researchers found that youth tried in adult courts...

Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills (serving the West San Fernando Valley and Ventura County) is requesting proposals for our 3 Year Community Benefit Grant Funding Cycle (2017 - 2020). The online application will open on February 15th and can be accessed at https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_946?SA=SNA&FID=35288 The deadline for submitting your complete grant application is March 15th at 2:00 pm . Grant awards range from $24,000 to $60,000 under the following 4 funding priorities: Access to...

On behalf of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund (SJVHF), we invite you to join state legislative and community leaders in a day of advocacy entitled Equity on the Mall, taking place on February 9 at our state capitol in Sacramento. Thursday, February 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. California State Capitol 1315 10th Street, Sacramento The day will include a powerful program at the West Steps of the Capitol on the movement being built in the San Joaquin Valley. Highlights will include remarks by elected...

California has welcomed about 112,000 refugees in the last 15 years, according to the State Department. They have resettled in more than 440 California cities and unincorporated communities. San Diego County has seen the biggest influx of refugees in recent years, with more than 31,000 refugees resettling there since 2002. About 11,500 Iraqis have resettled in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon alone. Los Angeles County welcomed nearly 30,000 refugees in the last 15 years. In the Los Angeles...

As President Trump threatens to strip federal funding from so-called “sanctuary cities,” defiant Democrats in Sacramento are doubling down on policies to protect immigrants at risk of deportation — bills that many say would turn California into a sanctuary state. The fast-tracked proposals — set for hearings Tuesday — have become a key tactic in California’s resistance against the Trump administration’s policies on immigration. They have drawn plaudits from immigration advocates and...