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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2004

Contact:
Cecilia Laiché, TCWF
(818) 702-1900

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD APPOINTMENTS

Woodland Hills, CA – The board of directors of The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) today announced three new appointments: Earl G. Mink, chair, Douglas X. Patiño, vice chair, and Barbara C. Staggers, M.D., new member.

“Earl’s and Douglas’ seasoned board leadership skills and Barbara’s fresh perspective and energy will help the Foundation carry out its mission of improving the health and wellness of Californians,” said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and CEO.

Mink joined TCWF’s board in 1992 and served as its chair in 1996 and 1997. He was group insurance manager for Lockheed Corporation for 25 years. Prior to that position, he worked for Hughes Aircraft Company and was a county commissioner for the Los Angeles Health Planning and Development Agency. He has served on the boards of the Delta Dental Plan of California, Health Net and on the California Chamber of Commerce Health Policy Committee.

“TCWF has always been mindful of its responsibility to California’s most vulnerable people,” Mink said. “Given today’s stagnant economy, high unemployment rates and unprecedented state budget deficit, the Foundation’s role takes on even greater importance. I look forward to working with my fellow board members to guide this important philanthropic institution.”

Patiño, who joined TCWF’s board in 1997, previously served as vice chair in 2002 and 2003. He is vice chancellor emeritus for the California State University (CSU) system, a professor of social welfare at CSU Los Angeles and president of the Patiño Group. Among his many community service activities, Patiño is a trustee of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a presidential appointee to the Enterprise for the Americas Board, and a member of the board of directors of Hispanics in Philanthropy, the Marguerite Casey Foundation and Association of Black Foundation Executives.

“TCWF’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of people throughout the state is something I take very seriously,” said Patiño. “I look forward to renewing my role as vice chair of the Foundation’s board.”

Staggers, director of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital and Research Center at Oakland, brings more than 20 years of experience in pediatric and adolescent health care to the Foundation. She also co-directs the hospital’s Health Professions Internship Partnership and is a physician consultant to City of Berkeley’s Department of Public Health. Previously, she worked for 10 years as an adolescent specialist and director of school-based clinics for the Oakland Unified School District. Staggers has received numerous awards for her work, including the Child Labor Committee’s Lewis Hine Award and recognitions from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the California State Senate.

“As a physician, I was attracted to TCWF’s focus on addressing the health needs of traditionally underserved populations, including low-income individuals, people of color, youth and residents of rural areas,” said Staggers. “I am happy to serve on the board of this distinguished statewide health foundation that has goals closely aligned with my own.”

The California Wellness Foundation is a private, independent foundation created in 1992, with the mission of improving the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. The Foundation prioritizes eight issues for funding: diversity in the health professions, environmental health, healthy aging, mental health, teenage pregnancy prevention, violence prevention, women’s health, and work and health. It also responds to timely issues or special projects outside the funding priorities.

Since its first year of operation, TCWF has awarded 3,417 grants totaling $426 million. It is one of the state’s largest private foundations, providing an average of $40 million in grants each year in pursuit of its mission

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Note to reporters & editors: "The" in The California Wellness Foundation name is part of the Foundation's legal name. Please do not drop or lowercase the "T."