Center in the News
One ongoing effort to address perinatal depression is the Health Equity Challenge. It is a program co-developed by MolinaCares under its California Equity and Accessibility Initiative and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The Health Equity Challenge asked UCLA students to create proposals in partnership with local community-based organizations to address health equity issues. One of the selected finalists, UCLA graduate student Alma Lopez, chose to focus on perinatal depression in mothers of color.
One in three Californians rely on Medi-Cal for health coverage. According to the 2021 California Health Interview Survey, among people with Medi-Cal, 15% of individuals live with diabetes and 34% suffer from high blood pressure. Black Californians are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than white Californians and more than 10% more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure. Medically supportive food and nutrition (MSF&N) interventions can prevent and treat these often-debilitating chronic conditions.
In an evaluation brief published in July 2018, researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research reported that:
- PAD programming like guided walking clubs, group exercise, team sports, and other physical activities helped to reduce costs for both the County of Los Angeles and the participants by reducing expenditures for treating chronic diseases. The report estimated savings of $1.1 million for 2017.
- PAD’s safety efforts prevented 41 violent crimes and almost 480 nonviolent crimes in neighborhoods near County parks between 2010 and
But an analysis from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that such programs saved “an average of $383 per Medi-Cal beneficiary per year — a meager amount compared with the program’s cost.
In 2016, California launched a pilot program in 26 counties for Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, to pay for some housing-related expenses such as security deposits and furniture, but not rent. A study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that the program saved taxpayers an estimated $383 per patient annually.
Over five years the program has reduced expensive hospital stays and emergency room visits for people on Medicaid, saving taxpayers an average of $383 per patient per year, according to an analysis by researchers at UCLA.
The study, based on responses to the 2021 California Health Interview Survey, reveals that 1 in 10 adults in the state, or approximately 3 million people, faced difficulties in paying for housing this year. Renters, in particular, were more vulnerable, with 18.6% reporting struggles to pay their landlords, compared to only 5% of homeowners who faced similar difficulties. Housing instability was also an issue for 4.4% of California adults.
According to the California Health Interview Survey, from 2019 to 2021 about one-third of California youth ages 12-17 experienced serious psychological distress. Current law allows youth ages 12 and up to consent to outpatient mental health services without the consent of a parent or guardian, but that differs for youth who have Medi-Cal due to language in the Family Code.
Some 41% of Latino adults in California are unable to afford enough food, according to the UCLA California Health Interview Survey. Limited income creates limited food choices, leading to a reliance on cheap, processed, sugar-rich foods as well as a disconnect from traditional and healthier foodways.
Statewide, a survey conducted by AAPI Data and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows that about one-third of Asians who reported difficulty accessing health care and mental health services cited limited language skills for a reason. Among those who are Chinese, the figure doubles for both categories.