150-152
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 150-152
150. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The health status of California's racial and ethnic communities is poor relative to the health status of the white population. (b) Of the estimated 24 percent of Californians without health insurance, approximately 81 percent are from racial and ethnic communities. (c) Of the uninsured in California, an estimated 38 percent are Latino, 24 percent are Asian and Pacific Islander, and 19 percent are African-American. (d) Racial and ethnic communities suffer from various infections and communicable diseases at higher rates than the white population, and experience increased mortality from more preventable disease relative to the white population. For example, the President's Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Initiative recognized that infant mortality rates are 2.5 times higher for African-Americans and 1.5 times higher for native Americans than for the white population. African men under 65 years of age suffer from prostate cancer at nearly five times the rate of white men and Vietnamese women suffer from cervical cancer at nearly five times the rate of white women. Latinos suffer from stomach cancer at two to three times the rate of the white population, and African-American men suffer from heart disease at nearly twice the rate of white men. Native Americans suffer from diabetes at nearly three times the average rate of the white population, while African-Americans suffer 70 percent higher rates of diabetes than the white population. (e) Efforts to reduce and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status have received scant attention, both in terms of funding for prevention and treatment services, as well as research. (f) Program planning and implementation efforts to reduce these health disparities have been neither inclusive of racial and ethnic communities nor responsive to the needs of these communities. 151. (a) The Office of Multicultural Health is hereby established within the State Department of Public Health. The approved programmatic costs of the Office of Multicultural Health shall be shared equally by the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Public Health unless otherwise provided by law. The Office of Multicultural Health shall report to the State Public Health Officer. (b) For purposes of this chapter: (1) "Department" means the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Public Health unless the context provides otherwise. (2) "Office" means the Office of Multicultural Health. 152. (a) The office shall do all of the following on behalf of the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Public Health: (1) Perform strategic planning within these departments to develop departmentwide plans for implementation of goals and objectives to close the gaps in health status and access to care among the state's diverse racial and ethnic communities. (2) Conduct departmental policy analysis on specific issues related to multicultural health. (3) Coordinate pilot projects and planning projects funded by the state that are related to improving the effectiveness of services to ethnic and racial communities. (4) Identify the unnecessary duplication of services and future service needs. (5) Communicate and disseminate information and perform a liaison function within the departments and to providers of health, social, educational, and support services to racial and ethnic communities. The office shall consult regularly with representatives from diverse racial and ethnic communities, including health providers, advocates, and consumers. (6) Perform internal staff training, an internal assessment of cultural competency, and training of health care professionals to ensure more linguistically and culturally competent care. (7) Serve as a resource for ensuring that programs keep data and information regarding ethnic and racial health statistics, strategies and programs that address multicultural health issues, including, but not limited to, infant mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), child and adult immunization, asthma, unintentional and intentional injury, and obesity, as well as issues that impact the health of racial and ethnic communities, including substance abuse, mental health, housing, teenage pregnancy, environmental disparities, immigrant and migrant health, and health insurance and delivery systems. (8) Encourage innovative responses by public and private entities that are attempting to address multicultural health issues. (9) Provide technical assistance to counties, other public entities, and private entities seeking to obtain funds for initiatives in multicultural health, including identification of funding sources and assistance with writing grants. (b) Notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the Government Code, the office shall biennially prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the status of the activities required by this chapter.