Cal-IHEA Priority Areas

Building a Workforce for Health Equity

California has high levels of public health and health inequities, including stark regional workforce disparities. By 2030, California is projected to face a shortage of >4,000 primary care physicians and 600,000 home health care workers, while sustaining just two-thirds of the needed psychiatric workforce. According to the California Future Health Workforce Commission’s Final Report, 7 million Californians, of which a majority are Latino, African-American, and Native American, live in health professional shortage areas with a dearth of primary care practitioners and specialists. The impact of health workforce shortages is compounded by vast underrepresentation of Latinos, African-Americans, and Native Americans in the state’s health workforce.

Recognizing the critical importance of investing in and training a diverse workforce to advance health equity in California, Cal-IHEA is committed to providing trainees with opportunities to produce meaningful health equity-focused work and research.  Our two major programs are the Undergraduate Health Equity Scholars for trainees to learn about the state policymaking process and the Graduate Fellowship Program where UC graduate students conduct health equity research, develop translational products, and engage in professional development activities. The goal of a Cal-IHEA project funded by the UC Office of the President is to expand health equity and policy research capacity by partnering with UC faculty and training graduate students at three campuses (UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside) that are Minority Serving Institutions.

Collaborating with Diverse Stakeholders to Narrow Health Disparities and Inequities

Although California has made major strides to increase health coverage among structurally marginalized groups, disparities persist along racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, immigration, and geographic lines. For example, an estimated 2.1 to 2.5 million Californians are undocumented and health care is still not accessible or affordable to much of the working poor. Insufficient and unsafe housing, limited transit, discrimination, language and communication barriers, and environmental degradation compound basic food, housing, and social support needs. To address the needs of low-income Californians and advance health equity, solutions need to go beyond health care—education, employment, nutritious food, housing, active and public transportation, community safety, and social support.

Cal-IHEA staff and faculty affiliates  collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including academics, policymakers, and state and regional organizations focused on health care, public health, advocacy, and consumers/patients, to produce timely and relevant evidence to narrow health disparities. Cal-IHEA supports UC faculty and trainee engagement in cross-sector collaborations—between government, health care, education, business, and community-based partners—that improve health for all Californians by prioritizing the voices and needs of California’s most socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Cal-IHEA’s activities are informed by feedback from their advisory board, which represents a multi-sectoral group of experts with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Cal-IHEA also provides technical assistance to policymakers through their Quickstrike Consultations where we connect UC faculty with policymakers and agencies for targeted consultations.

Translating Research Findings into State and Local Policy and Practice

Despite overall health improvements across the state over time, life expectancy of African Americans continues to be 7 years less compared to other Californians. Latinos disproportionately experience cost-related delays in care, and the chronic disease burden among Latinos, African-Americans, and Native Americans remains disproportionately high. Policy-driven research and effective research translation and dissemination are essential to advance policies that promote health equity statewide. However, few strategies have been identified to reduce gaps between research and state and local policy.

Cal-IHEA produces a variety of translational research products, including evidence-briefings and policy briefs, to advance the adoption of evidence-based health policy. A current project with UC Merced and UC Riverside involves collaboration with local community stakeholders to address local health needs and concerns. Prior work includes funding health equity and policy research focused on timely health equity topics and funding Evidence to Action Awards to promote the translation of faculty research into policy in partnership with policy advocacy organizations.