The California Health Care Almanac was created to support thoughtful planning and effective decisionmaking. The Almanac is a comprehensive online clearinghouse for data and analysis examining the state’s health care system. The series of reports provide objective information on a range of topics, including health care costs, disparities in health care, quality, coverage, and the delivery system.

All Californians should have the opportunity to lead a long and healthy life, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make. Health disparities are avoidable inequities among groups of people. Among racial groups in California, people of color are more likely to report they have poor or fair health, face barriers to accessing health care, receive suboptimal treatment, and experience poor outcomes in the health care system. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed inequities and racial disparities that have existed within and outside the health care system for generations.

CHCF believes it is important to regularly collect and publish data on the disparate racial experiences and outcomes in the acute care delivery system to identify ways to improve the health and well-being of all Californians. Since California is the most racially diverse state in the country, it has a critical stake in addressing health disparities experienced by people of color.

The California Health Care Foundation is seeking a grantee to update the Almanac report Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity: The California Landscape, CHCF’s first report on health disparities, which was published in October 2019. While health outcomes are also influenced by social determinants of health, such as affordable and stable housing, access to good jobs with fair pay, and safe neighborhoods, the focus of the report is on how people are coming to, experiencing, and leaving the health care system.

The publication should include trend analysis and the most recent race/ethnicity data in key population health topics, including:

• An overview of California, including a look at the population overall, by poverty level, by health status, by type of health insurance, and by life expectancy
• Access to care measures
• Prevention measures
• Quality measures
• Prevalence of chronic conditions, behavioral health, and maternal health/childbirth
• Other key measurement areas proposed by grantee and approved by CHCF

Where data allow, comparisons of California to national averages and an exploration of regional and demographic differences within California should be included.

The contractor selected under this RFP will be required to research and develop a report of approximately 40 pages. The report is intended to be data-intensive and should be weighted toward charts, tables, and graphics. (Please see the appendix for a sample template of the CHCF Almanac format.) The final report shall be completely and correctly annotated, and data sources identified. CHCF will oversee the production and dissemination of final research and any resulting publicity.

The intended audience for the reports includes health plan administrators, leaders of health care provider organizations, California policymakers, and the media.

*Respondents may propose alternative deadlines to enable use of difficult-to-access data sources.

Intent to Apply

Organizations intending to apply should email Indria Cooper, program associate, by October 14, 2020, at 5 PM (PT). The email should include the applicant name, organization, address, and phone number.

Full Proposal

Applicants should email an electronic proposal of no more than six pages, double-spaced, in a 12-point font. Proposals should include the following:

1. Project cover sheet, available at www.chcf.org/grantinfo/solicited. This does not count toward the six-page limit.
2. A brief description of the health disparities in California.
3. Description of potential topics to be included in report, and an outline of how the topics will be organized.
4. Description of the data sources that will be used for the report, including prior experience with these data sources.
5. Preliminary list of analyses that will be completed for this project, including where national, regional, and/or other comparisons will be made.
6. A project work plan and timeline, including a list of anticipated project deliverables and milestones with planned completion dates or date ranges. Please explain any deviations from proposed deadlines for draft and final snapshot reports.
7. Qualifications of the organization and project staff, including prior experience conducting health care–related research projects and data analysis.
8. A detailed budget for the project. The budget form, which is not included in the six-page limit, is available at www.chcf.org/grantinfo/solicited.

All proposals should be submitted electronically to Robbin Gaines, senior program officer, at [email protected] by October 23, 2020, at 5 PM (PT). Submissions must be made in a single email with all attachments clearly labeled.

Women and persons of color, including those who have not previously partnered with CHCF, are encouraged to apply.

Questions may be emailed to Robbin Gaines at [email protected] by October 2, 2020 at 5 PM (PT). Questions received after this time cannot be guaranteed a response.

Please share this RFP with others who may be interested.

The selected grantee will submit the draft and final reports prepared using the Almanac template (zip) provided by the California Health Care Foundation.