COVID-19

Health Equity Focus Needed to Vaccinate Our Way Out of Pandemic

Health leaders should take immediate steps to encourage vaccine uptake among many demographic groups, including Black and Latinx adults, people with lower incomes, and younger adults.

What Are the Biden Administration’s Health Policy Priorities?

Billy Wynne, Dawn Joyce

Expanding Health Coverage, Maternal Health

When it comes to health care, the fledgling administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hit the ground running.

Preliminary Research Suggests COVID-19 Warning App Has Slowed Transmission of the Virus

More than nine million Californians — about one-third of adult residents — have enabled the CA Notify app.

What Will a Third Vaccine Mean for Equitable Access to Immunizations in California?

Xenia Shih Bion

Stories That Caught Our Attention: The federal government plans to send California 380,000 doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine this week.

In Vaccination Drive, California Clinics and Community Organizations Boost Hopes for Equity

February 26, 2021

Californians in underserved communities share their experiences with COVID-19 immunizations.

The Burdens Grow Heavier for COVID-19 Health Care Providers

February 22, 2021

Xenia Shih Bion

Workforce, Behavioral Health, Health Equity, Serious Illness & End-of-Life Care

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Health care providers, working through unimaginable tragedies and unprecedented circumstances because of COVID-19, have little time to devote to their own mental health or well-being.

COVID-19 Tracking Poll, February 2021: Views from California Health Care Providers on the Front Lines

Goodwin Simon Strategic Research

Behavioral Health

This poll provides detailed insights on health care providers' views of a COVID-19 vaccine, including their rates of vaccination to date. Also included are providers' responses about mental health and morale, and the availability of personal protective equipment.

Burnout Growing Among Health Care Workers as Pandemic Wears On

February 17, 2021

Community Health Workers and Peers Are Essential to Counties’ COVID-19 Response

February 16, 2021

Amanda Clarke, Megan Renfrew, Zoe So

CHWs and peers are making vital contributions to communities that have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic.

Holding On: How California’s Health Centers Adapted Operations and Care for Patients During the Pandemic

Capital Link, Aurrera Health Group

This paper identifies several key factors that enabled California’s health centers to manage the financial strain exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to serve patients at a time when accessing health care involved new and unanticipated challenges.

A Time to Be Hopeful Again

February 11, 2021

Sandra R. Hernández

Health Equity, Expanding Health Coverage

Recovering from a woeful period in our nation's history will take a long time, and we won’t get there without hope. From that perspective, we are off to a good start.

California Attempts to Accelerate Vaccination Campaign

February 8, 2021

Xenia Shih Bion

Stories That Caught Our Attention: The state's plans to vaccinate every Californian over age 16 has been buffeted by complex problems.

Use ‘Carrots and Sticks’ to Spur Better Quality, Equity From Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans

February 4, 2021

Christopher Perrone

Medi-Cal, Payment & Financing, Health Equity

California has a rare opportunity to institute long-overdue financial incentives tied to health plan performance.

How Legal Changes in Response to COVID-19 Can Improve Access to Community Behavioral Health

Robert Belfort, Julian Polaris

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal

This report discusses the impact of temporary legal reforms on outpatient and residential behavioral health services in California and identifies the most promising candidates for long-term reform.

Pandemic Highlights Vulnerability of California’s Latinx Community

February 3, 2021

Agustín Durán

Health Equity, Behavioral Health

While the pandemic has upended the lives, finances, and health of millions of Californians from all backgrounds, it has hit Latinx people the hardest.