Health Jobs Start Here, a website dedicated to expanding the health care workforce, launched on June 9. The new site is a comprehensive web-based resource designed to encourage California’s young people to consider health careers. Developed by Fenton Communications with a grant from TCWF, it features resources related to financial aid, training and job opportunities. The site also provides information in Spanish. TCWF launched a public education campaign in 2006 to increase awareness about the California health workforce and its diversity. The Health Jobs Start Here website is a component of the public education campaign. read more
Program Recognizes and Trains Senior Leaders
The California Senior Leaders Program spotlights senior volunteers and community advocates committed to community building, healthy aging and improving the lives of seniors. Funded by a grant from TCWF, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health program is now in its sixth year. The project is built on the philosophy that active engagement is a contributor to healthy aging. The senior leaders receive peer- and student-led training and technical assistance on their advocacy projects, in an effort to encourage intergenerational collaboration and learning. read more
Environmental Health Fellow Awarded
New America Media reporter Ketaki Gokhale placed second in East Bay Press Club’s Excellence in Print Journalism competition for cultural affairs reporting for her story, “Punjabi Farmworkers at Risk.” Gokhale received The California Wellness Foundation Environmental Health Fellowship in early June to write and research the story, which documents the threat of pesticide exposure for Punjabi farmworkers in Yuba and Sutter counties. The fellowship was established as a grant to New America Media to support news coverage by ethnic media that documents the impacts of environmental toxins on human health. read more
New Online Magazine Engages Nonprofit Sector
Blue Avocado is a new online magazine dedicated to those who work and volunteer in community nonprofits. The e-magazine’s director and editor-in-chief is Jan Masaoka, a leading researcher in nonprofit leadership and workforce development and the former executive director of CompassPoint, a consulting and training firm for nonprofit organizations. The magazine is available via e-mail newsletter, website and RSS feed. read more
Champions of Health Professions Diversity
TCWF recognizes Juanita Barrena, Ph.D., Sacramento; David E. Hayes-Bautista, Ph.D., Los Angeles; and Linda Squires-Grohe, San Francisco, with its 2008 Champions Award. The three honorees are leaders in higher education who provide vital training opportunities, information and advocacy for students facing challenges that can stand in the way of pursuing careers in the health professions. Each awardee has worked to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the health workforce by addressing institutional bias, reforming admission policies and mentoring students. They have created innovative programs to ensure that Californians have greater access to culturally competent health care. read more
Julio Marcial Joins Hispanics in Philanthropy Board
Julio Marcial, program director of The California Wellness Foundation, has been appointed to the board of directors of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP). HIP is a transnational network of grantmakers committed to strengthening Latino communities across the Americas by sharing with funders the needs of the Latino community. The organization sponsors conferences, research and publications, and professional development programs for its members in order to build the capacity of Latino nonprofits and their leadership. read more
Customized Data Research Resource Available
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPHEN) offers customized data searches to strengthen and support community, government, academia, and private sector programs and advocacy efforts affecting the health of communities of color. Charts, statistics, and demographics of California such as the racial/ethnic makeup, languages spoken at home, and poverty level of different racial/ethnic groups are available specific to health issue. CPEHN works to improve access to health care and eliminate health disparities by advocating for policies and resources to address the health needs of California’s communities. read more
The Price Tag of Violence
Fatal and non-fatal injuries due to interpersonal and self-directed violence result in large direct expenditures for the health care, law enforcement, criminal justice and welfare systems. Meeting these direct costs diverts huge quantities of money from more constructive societal spending. Larger still are the indirect costs of violence-related injuries that arise from lost productivity and an inability to continue with the activities of daily life. This problem is analyzed in the World Health Organization’s “Manual for Estimating the Costs of Injuries Due to Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence,” published in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. read more
