The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) has been named
the recipient of a research award from California 100, an ambitious statewide
initiative to envision and shape the long-term success of the state. The award,
along with technical assistance from the Institute for the Future, will enable
UCLA CHPR to evaluate current facts, origins, and future trends health and
wellness will play in California’s next century. UCLA CHPR’s research will be
led by Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, center director and professor at the UCLA Fielding
School of Public Health, and will begin this summer.
“California has the largest economy in the U.S. — fifth largest in
the world, if it were its own nation — and is the most populous and diverse
state. Though often recognized as a leader in implementing federal health care
reform and a model for national policy, the state has many challenges that have
been heightened during the COVID-19 crisis. Through the California 100
Initiative, we will focus on health and wellness in the state: where we are,
how we got here, where we’re going, where we want to go, and how we’ll get
there,” says Ponce. “We are excited to be part of this important project to
begin to chart a path forward for California’s next century.”
Informed by a health equity framework, UCLA CHPR will review the
history and current landscape of health care coverage and access, and its
implications on the health of Californians, with a special focus on
marginalized communities.
The team, which comprises more than a dozen public health experts and
public policy analysts, will address the issue of health and wellness by examining
two overarching questions: what progress has California made in achieving
universal effective health coverage (that all people have timely access to high-quality covered services that they need) and how can the state ensure
population health equity (that all people have the opportunity to be as healthy
as possible) in the future? To answer these questions, researchers will focus
on the following topic areas of health and wellness in California: health
systems and public programs, insurance coverage and markets, environmental
influences, chronic conditions and mental health, child and adolescent health,
aging residents, and racial justice and immigrant populations.
“A critical driver of equitable health and wellness in California
will be universal effective coverage and an integrated system that not only
delivers care but addresses social determinants of health. This is vital to
move beyond reactionary systems that result in costly and inefficient
approaches to care and towards mitigating and preventing the production of
inequities in health,” adds Ponce. “Achieving health equity through universal
effective coverage requires consideration of not only insurance and access to
care, but the specific needs for an aging population, youth and young adults, communities
of color, immigrant communities, mental health, environmental impacts, and
effective and integrated systems of health care.”
The research will be complete by December 2021, and will lead to a
set of policy alternatives for the future of California. The policy
alternatives will be developed in conjunction with research teams from 12 other
issue areas and will be coordinated by Henry Brady, director of research of
the California 100 Initiative and former dean of the Goldman School of Public
Policy at the University of California Berkeley. “We are excited to work with
our research partners that are international experts in their issue areas,”
Brady noted. “We will not only develop a comprehensive knowledge base on various policy issues,
but we will also offer actionable recommendations for the California 100
Commission and the larger public to consider.”
The California 100 Commission is a multigenerational advisory
body that will develop recommendations for the state’s future and test those
recommendations across a broad set of policy areas by directly engaging
Californians. Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of the California 100
Initiative, is tasked with assembling and engaging the Commission, and ensuring
that the research stream intersects with the initiative’s other activities
including advanced technology, policy innovation, and stakeholder engagement.
“From climate change, to aging populations and rapid changes in
industry, California will face enormous challenges in the years ahead,”
Ramakrishnan noted. “We are fortunate to be able to draw on the deep talent of
researchers in California to produce evidence and recommendations that will
inform robust public engagement and set the state on a strong, long-term
trajectory for success.”
About the California 100 Research Grants
California 100 is a new statewide
initiative being incubated at the University of California and Stanford
University focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next
century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. The initiative will
harness the talent of a diverse array of leaders through research, policy
innovation, advanced technology, and stakeholder engagement. As part of its
research stream of work, California 100 is sponsoring 13 research projects
focused on the following issue areas:
- Advanced technology and basic research
- Arts, culture, and
entertainment
- Education and workforce,
from cradle to career and retirement
- Economic mobility and
inequality
- Energy, environment and
natural resources
- Federalism and foreign
policy
- Fiscal reform
- Governance, media, and civil
society
- Health and wellness
- Housing and community
development
- Immigrant integration
- Public safety and criminal
justice reform
- Transportation and urban
planning
About the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy
research centers and the premier source of health policy information for
California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality,
objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective
policymaking. It is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS),
the nation’s largest state health survey, and is part of the UCLA Fielding School
of Public Health.