Health Policy

Since CHI's inception, health policy has been the centerpiece of our work. Through collaborations with community-based organizations, state and national officials and their staff, foundations, and others, we identify emerging issues, facilitate discussions of policy options, and analyze the effectiveness of various policies. Our policy innovations are grounded in evidence-based research, or where none exists, we work with key stakeholders to identify and agree upon promising practices. CHI also provides skills-building, in-person trainings on policy and advocacy for those seeking to understand and become effective participants in the policy process at state or local levels.

California Health Policy Forum

California HealthCare Foundation, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation

CHI developed a forum through which California health policy staff can share information and learn from experts in the field about various wide-reaching and complex health issues facing the state today. Forums addressing topics such as health care quality and costs, public health, health system reform, and mental health offer interested legislative staff, state agency staff, and others the opportunity to engage in active dialogue, learn from successes, and identify opportunities to improve systems and programs.

Alaska Policy and Advocacy Training

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and Steps to a Healthier SE Alaska

In conjunction with conference sponsors SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and Steps to a Healthier SE Alaska, CHI developed a three-day training "Motivate. Engage. Change: Harnessing the Power of Policy". The training program helped 70 attendees learn to identify opportunities for change and explained how to work through the health policy process. The training provided advocates with the knowledge and tools they need to collect, analyze, and present data; develop policy goals for schools, workplaces, and community settings; and get buy-in from key players for implementing evidence-based health promotion policies. The program taught participants how to build coalitions, develop their leadership potential, and tell their stories to help engage others in policy change. Participants also heard firsthand from a current legislator and others working on policy in the state capital on how to navigate the policy process.

What Consumers Want to Know

State of California Office of Patient Advocate

A survey conducted by CHI for the state's Office of Patient Advocate revealed that Californians' satisfaction with HMOs is strongly influenced by the source of their health plan coverage. Two-thirds of those with employer-based coverage said they knew how to access HMO information and services, but Medi-Cal HMO enrollees expressed an interest in having more information that compared the quality of care by health plans and information on whether patients were treated equally in different plans. California HMO enrollees varied in terms of what they want and need to know about their health plans as well as in what sources they trust most when seeking health plan information. Respondents who completed the survey in Spanish reported greater difficulty in obtaining the information they need to make decisions about their care. Using data from the statewide telephone survey of 1,200 Californians and six regional focus groups, CHI identified areas for improvement in a policy brief.  CHI partnered with researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Field Research Corp. on this yearlong effort, which concluded in 2006.

Assessment of California's Pharmacist Consult Law

The California Wellness Foundation and California HealthCare Foundation

CHI examined the patient-pharmacist consultation mandated by state regulation for all new or changed prescriptions for people 65 and older. The analysis involved a survey of California community pharmacists to determine their perceptions about the effectiveness of the consult, and focus groups of pharmacists, physicians, and persons 65 and over. These findings and policy recommendations served as a basis for a policy roundtable in fall 2005.

Grantee Policy and Advocacy Training

Partnership for the Public's Health, Public Health Institute

CHI designed a policy and advocacy training for 59 grantees of the Partnership for the Public's Health, a program of the Public Health Institute. The 59 grantees were partnerships between local public health departments and community-based organizations throughout California. The project culminated in a "Day at the Capitol" in which the grantees used their new advocacy skills to meet with legislators. One group persuaded its assembly member to adapt a bill to reflect its health access policy message.

L.A. Community Health Councils' Policy and Advocacy Training

Los Angeles Access to Health Coverage Initiative

CHI conducted a customized two-day policy and advocacy training for the Los Angeles Access to Health Coverage Initiative, a program of the Community Health Councils of Los Angeles. The training covered the policy process at the state and local levels, and empowered participants to affect policies and regulations that influence their communities. Participants developed communications and strategy skills to prepare them for an advocacy session with their legislator or administration representative. A resource manual developed for the training included sample letters, telephone scripts, content for testimony, and one-page information sheets for meetings with representatives. CHI provided one-on-one coaching and teleconferences to help prepare participants for meetings with their representatives. The Los Angeles Access initiative is a coalition of community-based organizations, clinics, and hospitals in Los Angeles County that received funding to increase outreach, enrollment, and retention in health insurance programs.

Webinar on Engaging & Persuading Policymakers

Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute

CHI developed a policy webinar for community-based organizations on engaging and persuading policymakers. This webinar contained information on advocacy at the state and local levels, the importance of developing a communications strategy, the steps in developing a communications plan, and examples of changes in local and state policies related to junk food sales in California schools.

Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC) Policy Profiles

Tobacco TA Consortium

CHI updated 14 existing new tobacco control policy profiles and developed five new ones for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium. The profiles feature advertising, cessation, secondhand smoke, tobacco-industry sponsorship, and youth access. The three- to five-page profiles provide concise national information on effective tobacco control polices.

Resources

Tackling Obesity by Building Healthy Communities: Changing Policies Through Innovative Collaborations, Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Brief, December 2009.

Targeting Root Causes to Address Inequities and Improve Health: Implications for Health Reform, Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Brief, July 2009.

New Perspectives: Investing in Resilience to Promote Healthy Aging, Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Brief, June 2009.

"Regionalization in Local Public Health Systems," Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Issue Brief, September 2007.

Health Policy Resource Guide, A starting point for links to information, organizations, and other resources related to more than 70 health policy topics in 16 major categories, Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum, August 2007.

"Syringe Exchange in California: Policy, Programs and Progress," Center for Health Improvement Policy Brief, August 2007.

Health Policy Guide, this CHI website provides evidence-based, peer-reviewed policy guidance and resources to support advocacy and decision-making at the state and local levels. It is a database of policy-based strategies to improve health and well being covering more than 150 policy topics designed to meet the needs of educators, employers, community groups, and state and local policy groups.

"Understanding the United States Public Health System," Center for Health Improvement Policy Brief, January 2007.

"Understanding California's Public Health System," Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Issue Brief, January 2007.

Improving Access to HCV Care in California Rural Communities, Center for Health Improvement Policy Brief, October 2006.

2006 Survey: What Consumers Want to Know About Their HMOs, Center for Health Improvement Policy Brief, September 2006.

"Leveraging Land Use and Economic Development Practices to Improve Health Disparities," Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Issue Brief, May 2006

"Improving State Health Care Quality," Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Issue Brief, February 2006.

"Public Health in California: Trends and Challenges in 2006," Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Issue Brief, January 2006.

Improving the California Pharmacist Consult Process, Center for Health Improvement Policy Brief, January 2006.

"California Medicare Part D: Dual Eligible Rx Implementation," Center for Health Improvement, California Health Policy Forum Issue Brief, April 2005.

Improving Public Health through Policy Advocacy, A CHI primer developed in collaboration with The Partnership for the Public's Health that focuses on the differences between lobbying and advocacy and the importance of using advocacy to advance community health.

Tobacco Advertising: Voluntary Retailer Compliance, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco Advertising: Enforcing Existing Advertising Restriction Laws, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco Cessation Strategies: Tobacco Use-Increasing Price to Decrease Demand, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco Cessation Strategies: Assistance for Employees Who Smoke, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco Cessation Strategies: Tobacco Cessation Benefits Coverage, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Smoke-free Bars, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Smoke-free Restaurants, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Smoke-free Workplace, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Licensing of Retail Outlets, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Minimum Age Increase, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Penalties for Illegal Sales to Minors, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Vending Machines, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Enforce Existing Advertising Restriction Laws, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Voluntary Retailer Compliance, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.

Tobacco: Youth Access-Enforce Existing Youth Access Laws, Center for Health Improvement Policy Profile for the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, updated June 30, 2004.