Women and Philanthropy has named Peggy Saika, chairperson of the board for TCWF, as the 2008 Leadership for Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Award winner. The LEAD award honors visionaries in the philanthropic community who have demonstrated commitment to social change by promoting equity and diversity for women and girls. Women and Philanthropy is a project of the Council on Foundations, whose mission is to provide tools and leadership to philanthropic organizations to advance the common good. read more
California Voters Concerned About Health Care System
A new Field Poll reports growing concern among California voters about the workings of the state's health care system. Nearly three in four (73%) say they are troubled by the state's failure to enact health reform legislation. The poll, funded by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation, updates a previous Field Health Policy Survey completed in December 2006. Complete survey results are available on the Field Poll’s Website. read more
Conference on Increasing Diversity in the Health Professions
The California Wellness Foundation's 2008 Conference, to be held June 9-10 at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, will provide participants with opportunities to network with colleagues from throughout California. Attendees will examine strategies for increasing diversity in the health professions and celebrate the accomplishments of the recipients of the 2008 Champions of Health Professions Diversity Award. Admission is free but space is limited. For an agenda, click here. For registration information, read more
Geriatric Care Faces Worker Shortages
A recent Institute of Medicine report, “Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce,” estimates a critical shortage in the number of medical workers trained in geriatrics. Currently, there is only one geriatrician for every 4,000 Californians age 65 and older. Shortages are attributed to high turnover, low wages and a lack of benefits, including health insurance for those in the field. Staff of UCSF's Center for California Health Workforce Studies, a TCWF grantee, contributed to the report that recommends improved geriatric training programs and ongoing assessments for health care workers to meet the needs of the aging baby boomers. read more
TCWF Awarded for Outstanding Communications
TCWF has received two silver awards from the Council on Foundations’ 2008 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program for Excellence in Communications, one for its work on the 2006 Annual Report and one for its public information campaign to increase California’s health care workforce and its diversity. The awards program recognizes communications by foundations and corporate giving programs that highlight the importance of foundation accountability and provide models of excellence in advancing their grantmaking goals. read more
Conference Seeks to Reframe Poverty Discussion
Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) is hosting a conference on poverty on June 18 at its center in Pacoima, California. Partially funded by TCWF, this year’s conference theme, “Reframing Poverty,” will be discussed in workshops addressing how the media and funders think about poverty, accessing healthcare for the underserved, and other topics. MEND is a volunteer-driven organization providing services that meet the basic needs of individuals while promoting self-reliance. read more
Lessons From State Family Planning Expansions
State-initiated Medicaid family planning expansion programs, established in 26 states as of March 2008, have learned from and improved upon earlier expansions to programs that serve pregnant women and children to enhance program outreach, enrollment and service delivery. A new report from Alan Guttmcher Institute outlines offers lessons learned from these programs and suggests that family planning expansions have identified innovations that should serve future program design, both in the field of family planning specifically and for Medicaid and health care reform more broadly. read more
"Pro-Gun" States Lead the Nation in Per Capita Firearm Death Rate
Research by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) reveals that states in the South and West with weak gun laws and high rates of gun ownership lead the nation in overall firearm death rates, according to the VPC's new analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. By contrast, states with strong gun laws and low rates of gun ownership had far lower rates of firearm-related death. The Violence Policy Center, a TCWF grantee, is a national nonprofit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury. read more
