G-2103-16882

The California Pan Ethnic Health Network is a statewide organization that brings together and mobilizes communities of color to advocate for public policies that advance health equity and improve health outcomes in communities in California.
Through our funding, CPEHN has led efforts to galvanize a grassroots voice in the design and growth of California-OPEN, which is the state oral health coalition. Through this work, CPHEN and CA-OPEN have seen advancements in coverage, policies and programs supporting language access, and a significantly established statewide infrastructure.
This proposal falls under the Advancing Equity funding initiative, and the Strengthen Community Voice and State Advocacy sub-initiative and seeks to expand Medicaid coverage for all Californians regardless of immigration status, increasing linguistic competency and enforcement of language access policies in Medicaid, and strengthening the formal role of community health workers in the state. Currently, California accepts Medicaid undocumented beneficiaries up to the age of age 25, while within the Medicaid program there are tremendous short fallings meeting the needs of the communities that speak the over 220 languages that exist in the state. As well, there is a growing support for the role in community-based workforces in the state including community health workers and promotores, though little structural support for implementation. Through leveraging a network of grassroots organizations, CPEHN will develop and advocate for policies that seek to address these inequities. This will include direct advocacy campaigns as well as administrative advocacy in the development of the state’s upcoming 1115 waiver. In addition to advancing the aforementioned policies, CPHEN will spend time specifically working with grassroots organizations throughout the state to design a concept paper that articulates a vision for an anti-racist oral health system in California.
The budget for this proposal is $150,000, which primarily goes to staff time, travel, and supplies associated with the deliverables. There is $25,000 set aside for subcontracts with an Equity Core Group of 5 key grassroots organizations to support the work.
CPHEN has an organizational budget of about $3,000,000 which means that this grant would represent about 5% of their total organizational budget.