Recent News and Events

August 31 marks International Overdose Awareness Day, a global campaign to end overdoses, remember loved ones who have been harmed and died from drug overdose, and support families and friends impacted by substance use. Overdose continues to affect communities nationwide, but dedicated partners and innovative strategies make a difference.

Debates about systems and policies that support public health, health care, and social services in the United States are more intense and consequential than at any time in recent memory. Federal systems and staff are changing at an unprecedented pace. As we negotiate policy, systems, and environmental work, it is more important than ever to understand promising strategies and barriers to promote, initiate and defend policies, so that they can reach their intended impact

Online tool facilities identification of community needs: Our team developed a Community Health data platform for Kaiser Permanente, to facilitate identification of significant health needs. It uses publicly available data on health factors and health outcomes, with an emphasis on social and environmental determinants of health. The data platform includes 85 measures organized across 16 health topics based on the County Health Rankings population health framework.

CCHE partnered with the California Health Care Foundation to create an evaluation toolkit for tech partners who are interested in partnering with healthcare organizations to pilot and evaluate new services and products. Evaluation is a powerful tool for digital health companies to demonstrate impact, enhance program design, and strengthen their value proposition for fundraising and sales efforts. The goal is to provide a structured approach to evaluation with special attention to health equity and Medicaid populations. The toolkit includes evaluation fundamentals, suggested structure to build one’s own evaluation, and tools and resources for conducting an evaluation.

Housing insecurity affects millions of Americans, with many families only one financial crisis away from homelessness. Innovative, cross-sector solutions are needed, especially those integrating housing support with other social and health services. Medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) offer a promising approach that healthcare systems can use to support those who are housing insecure. CCHE recently published our learnings about Kaiser Permanente’s MLP in Health Services Research.

CCHE recently worked with the California Health Care Foundation to produce this report: Telehealth Evolution in California Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities. It traces telehealth’s history in California and lays out a roadmap for continued progress. To create the report, our team analyzed dozens of research studies and interviewed key players in California. California has made significant strides in telehealth since the COVID-19 pandemic, and patients generally report high satisfaction with digital or hybrid care. While telehealth has advanced health equity, disparities remain for Medicaid patients, speakers of languages other than English speakers, and rural residents. Our roadmap offers recommendations for policymakers, health system leaders, providers, health plans, and researchers to continue to center equitable access to care in their telehealth efforts.