Health summit to address key health issues facing California
OAKLAND, CA – The inaugural California Health Strategy Summit will bring together leaders from throughout the state to address the challenges posed by communicable disease and chronic illness. The summit will take place at The California Endowment in Los Angeles on January 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Distinguished participants will include: Kimberly Belshé, secretary of the Health and Human Services Agency of California; Anthony B. Iton, director and health officer of the Alameda County Public Health Department; Stephen Shortell, dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health; Deborah Ortiz, former California state senator; and Robert K. Ross, president and chief executive officer of The California Endowment. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is invited.
California is at risk due to an erosion of public health funding and a concurrent weakening of economic and social structures. The system change needed to prepare California for 21st Century health threats demands a strong constituency working to educate both the public and policy makers about the need to rebuild and maintain public health. This rebuilding can only be successful when public health, health care, and community leaders work together. The goal of the California Health Strategy Summit is to strengthen existing efforts and develop new approaches to improve the public’s health.
"The summit is about informed dialogue leading to effective action to improve the health of Californians. We are uniting the strength of California's health leaders to make us safer and healthier," said Stephen Shortell, summit cochair.
"Given the Governor’s recent commitment to implement prevention strategies as a core component of his health care reform proposal, California is poised to usher in a ‘prevention renaissance’ which will ultimately result in a more vibrant and efficient public health system," said Robert K. Ross, of The California Endowment. "To that end, it is apropos that The Endowment is hosting this Summit at our Center for Healthy Communities which was created as a venue for the best and the brightest minds to work together to improve the health of Californians."
"We are pleased to support this important summit and are thrilled to see such a diverse and dedicated group working to improve the health of Californians," said James S. Marks, senior vice president for health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "It is increasingly clear that all in our nation and states — public health, community and faith-based groups, businesses, the health care sector and philanthropy — must join together to protect and promote health and make our communities healthier places to live, work and play."
The summit is a collaborative effort of the Public Health Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, with financial support provided by numerous sponsoring organizations.
About the Public Health Institute
The Public Health Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally and internationally. For more information about the Public Health Institute, visit www.phi.org.
About The California Endowment
The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment makes grants to organizations and institutions that directly benefit the health and well-being of the people of California. To date, The Endowment has awarded over 8,600 grants across California totaling more than $1.6 billion. For more information, visit The Endowment’s Web site at www.calendow.org.
About the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health
Consistently ranked among the nation's top schools of public health, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health is noted for the high quality of its teaching, research, and service activities, which are based on a broad ecological view of the determinants of health. The School's mission is to develop, apply, and share knowledge from multiple disciplines to promote and protect the health of the human population, with sensitivity to multicultural perspectives and informed by human rights.
January 17, 2007
Media Contact:
Cinderella Lee
Public Health Institute
510.285.5533
clee@phi.org
