CDPH Outlines State’s Lack Of Equity

The California Department of Public Health has released a report documenting the role of demographic inequity in the state and how it impacts both physical and mental health.

The 96-page report, “Portrtait of Promise,” was released by the agency’s Office of Health Equity (OHE), which was formed in 2012. 

The report’s optimistic title aside, it mostly chronicles inqeuities that are impacting Californians and their health. The OHE recently began soliciting requests for proposals to reduce mental health disparities and said it would issue $60 million in contracts over the next four years.

“As a physician and a public health officer, I have seen firsthand how those who suffer the stresses of poverty and discrimination also suffer disproportionately from conditions that shorten lives and lower quality of life,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith, M.D. “With a better data-based understanding of the causes and consequences of inequity, we will be better prepared to take the steps to improve the health of all Californians.”

Among the notable data in the report:

• African-Americans in California have significantly higher death rates per 100,000 population than other demographic groups in the state

• More than two-thirds of household wealth in California is held by whites, meaning many ethnic groups do not have the resources to maintain healthier lifestyles and better obtain healthcare services

• Using an alternate measure of poverty created by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget would add 3 million Californians to the poverty rolls and give it the highest poverty rate in the nation, affecting the state’s overall health

• Fifty-three percent of California’s children do not attend preschool programs, including 61% of Latinos, putting them at an economic disadvantage later in life

• Forty percent of Californians with uncontrollable bouts of asthma live in households with income at less than 200% of the federal poverty level

“The data shows that income, education level, race, ethnicity, employment status, gender identity and sexual orientation are all related to health and health outcomes for Californians. Beyond the social and moral implications of inequities, there is also a financial burden to be paid as well.” said OHE Deputy Director Jahmal Miller.

The OHE also noted that solutions for healthcare disparities in the state will have to be holistic and include many participants. 

“The solutions need to involve changes at the policy level by a broad set of public and private partners representing sectors that impact public health but may not have health at the center of their decision making, such as economic development, city planning, and others,” the report said.