As the COVID-19 pandemic began, UCLA CHPR's California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) quickly adapted to add a series of COVID-19 questions to better understand how COVID-19 has affected the diverse health care needs of the 39.5 million people who live in California.

On September 22, 2021, UCLA CHPR released comprehensive findings from the 2020 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, UCLA CHPR director and CHIS principal investigator, and Todd Hughes, CHIS director, discussed key data from the 2020 survey. Sean Tan, MPP, senior public administration analyst, shared findings from a policy brief that looks at health care access and the challenges faced by various racial and ethnic groups, older adults, and other at-risk communities.

These findings built on CHIS’ preliminary COVID-19 estimates. For the first time in history, these data were released more than a year in advance of the full CHIS to provide timely data to aid in the state’s response to COVID-19. Data were featured in news media, such as NBC, CBS, FOX, KCRW, and more. View recording of the seminar. View the speakers' presentation.