US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

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 Health Services.
   (b) For purposes of this chapter:
   (1) "Department" means the State Department of Health Services.
   (2) "Office" means the Office of Multicultural Health.



152.  (a) The office shall do all of the following:
   (1) Perform strategic planning within the department 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 department 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.