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Goal:

Provide public education and policy development in support of community-based efforts to promote population health.

Objectives:

• Support public education regarding population health issues.
• Support nonpartisan policy analysis regarding key public policy issues in the state.
• Provide information about population health to policymakers and opinion leaders.

Accomplishments:

• The establishment of a state-level policy center. Through the establishment of a state-level policy center, the HII made significant contributions to improved public/policymaker awareness—a prerequisite to population-based health improvements. Activities such as statewide public opinion polls and corresponding publications, creation of policy development tools, ongoing media advocacy and nonpartisan technical assistance for elected officials established a statewide leadership role in advancing a broad view of health and its determinants.
• Contributions to state-level policies that emphasize prevention. Evidence of the Initiative’s achievement can be found in the HII grantees' role in California’s Healthy Families Program, Proposition 10, parity in mental health insurance coverage, tobacco prevention and control, alcohol and drug treatment, and school-based health and physical education. Contributions to each of these state-initiated programs have included the presentation of data (scientific and public opinion research) that have been translated into legislative language or as guidelines for implementing state-level policy. Critical to this success, HII grantees did an outstanding job of “diagnosing” emerging policy issues.
• Unanticipated state-level program and policy contributions. As a result of the HII grantees, the Initiative has made numerous unplanned and/or unintended contributions to prevention. The HII has provided grant resources relevant to population health and health improvement; participated, represented or voiced support for health improvement in other venues; supported the development, acquisition or utilization of tools; produced and/or disseminated reports; and provided technical assistance and support for population health improvements.
• The use of state and local public opinion polling for planning and policy development. The HII provided new information about the public’s perspective on prevention issues. HII grantees generated state and local public opinion data that were instrumental in policy development, education and advocacy. Six state-level and three local health improvement polls provided a new source of information on public perceptions of need, demand and potential solutions to current health issues. Collectively, these efforts have generated national interest among government, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.
• Policy publications: a new source of information on prevention. The production and broad dissemination of policy briefs represented a significant contribution of the HII to public and stakeholder awareness of prevention issues. Over time, HII grantees mastered the art of designing brief action-oriented policy tools that presented compelling policy messages. Approximately 30 policy briefs/tools were published that ranged from financing prevention, systems reform, results-based accountability, civic engagement, alcohol and drug treatment, welfare reform, early child brain development, health and physical education, to smart growth and urban sprawl. The use of electronic communications, professional organizations and the print media enhanced the success of this overall effort.