Press Releases
CPUC Action Would Ensure 100% 2-1-1 Coverage For All California Residents In Times of Disasters and Emergencies
2-1-1 Available to Provide Timely, Critical Non-Life-threatening Information in Times of Disaster. Will Help Reserve 911 for Life-saving Emergency Calls.
September 13, 2011
San Francisco, California
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last week voted unanimously to approve a petition from 2-1-1 California to ensure 2-1-1 will be available to connect all Californians to vital information and referral services in times of disaster. Currently, 2-1-1 is available 24/7, 365 days a year in 30 counties, accessible to 91% of all Californians. But many rural communities do not have access to 2-1-1. The action will enable 100% availability of 2-1-1 to California residents in the event of a disaster or emergency.
The CPUC also appointed 2-1-1 California as the “Lead Entity” to coordinate 2-1-1 service statewide. 2-1-1 services are provided by local and regional 2-1-1 service providers, and 2-1-1 California is a partnership developed to coordinate their work statewide on an informal basis. Assigning 2-1-1 California as the lead entity will help ensure a more formal coordinated telecommunications, IT, software and organizational infrastructure to better connect and coordinate regional 2-1-1’s statewide and to expand 2-1-1’s during emergencies and non-emergencies alike.
Clock is Ticking on Children’s Health Coverage
Legislators and the Governor Need to Step Up and Prevent Hundreds of Thousands of Kids from Losing Health Insurance
August 23, 2011
Sacramento, California
On behalf of the state’s leading children’s advocates, Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership, released the following statement in response to recent communications regarding a potential 37 percent shortfall in California’s Healthy Families budget for the current fiscal year.
Last week, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which administers the Healthy Families Program, responded to an August 12 inquiry from the Department of Finance by announcing it would have no choice but to disenroll children from health coverage unless needed revenues are again approved. If California lawmakers and the Governor fail to extend an assessment on managed care plans before the end of the legislative session on September 9, Healthy Families will lose $130 million in state funds and $260 million more in federal matching funds.
Human Development Report Shows Large Disparities Among Californians in the Areas of Health, Education and Income
Report illustrates the markedly different opportunities and outcomes for California residents across geography, race and gender.
Los Angeles, CA
May 17, 2011
A new report released May 17, 2011 provides, for the first time, an easy-to-understand composite number that measures the well-being of Californians in the areas of health, education and income. A Portrait of California uses the internationally recognized Human Development Index to rank how Californians are doing against key benchmarks, broken out by demographic, geographic and other distinctions. This exhaustive report was prepared by the American Human Development Project, a nonpartisan initiative that seeks to move beyond an overreliance in the U.S. on GDP as a measure of well-being.
Read the full report and find regional data here.
Advocates to California Congressional Leaders: Find a Budget Fix that Works for Families Too
Sacramento
July 7, 2011
California advocacy organizations committed to improving children’s health reacted to negotiations among congressional leaders that could cut health care for children and families across the state and throughout the country. A new study released today by the National Bureau of Economic Research (link below) emphasizes how critical health coverage is for low-income families.
United Ways of California Reacts to Governor Brown's May Revised Budget Proposal
Los Angeles, CA
May 16, 2011
Peter Manzo, President & CEO of the United Ways of California, issued the following statement today in response to Governor Jerry Brown’s May revised budget proposal to merge Healthy Families into Medi-Cal (a General Fund savings of $31.2 million) and increase funding for K-12 education by $3 billion.:
“United Ways of California believes that health, education and financial stability are the building blocks for a good life, and that addressing any of those areas effectively requires attention to all. We appreciate that, while facing an enormous budget deficit, the Governor recognized the importance of education in our children’s lives by increasing funding for K – 12 education. Clearly that is a win for our kids.
More Articles ...
- California Misses Opportunity for Share of $206 Million in Federal Funding for Covering Uninsured Children
- United Ways of California Reacts to Governor Brown's Budget Proposal
- United Ways Throughout California Offer Free Tax Preparation Help to Working Families
- UWCA Accepts Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge
