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What We Do

Racial and ethnic health disparities are a persistent and growing threat to the state’s health and prosperity. Effective solutions require a multicultural approach that addresses systemic inequities. Through a collaborative process with our partners in the African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino and Latina , and Native American communities, CPEHN monitors, analyzes, and informs health policies affecting the health of communities of color. We bring together diverse stakeholders - community, government, academia, and the private sector - to engage in dialog and build effective advocacy efforts to achieve health equity. For more information about our work, please check out Our Policy Briefs. CPEHN’s work is focused on the following four priority areas:

Addressing the Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Disparities
People of color do not have the same opportunities as others to live healthy lives. We live in neighborhoods with fewer stores that stock fresh fruits and vegetables and have few safe park spaces for physical activity. Our schools are often of poorer quality and good jobs and housing are hard to come by. All of these inequities are contribute to our poor health status. Health equality is a social justice issue. Strategies to eliminate health disparities must improve conditions that impact health in neighborhoods, communities, and workplaces.

Improving Access to Health Care
Communities of color continue to be confronted with financial and non-financial barriers to health care access, which include the shortage of health care providers willing to serve communities of color, the lack of transportation, persistent language barriers exacerbated by the lack of quality translation and interpreter services, and the effects of geographic isolation, population mobility, culturally inappropriate care, and institutional racism.

Promoting Data and Research
Existing data collections standards are insufficient to monitor health status and outcomes between and within ethnic populations, ensure the design of effective policies and programs, or to promote appropriate allocation of resources. Improved collection and standardization of demographic and health data is essential to addressing disparities in health care, health status, and access to health services.

Advocating for Cultural and Linguistic Competency
California’s health care delivery systems, both public and commercial, do not adequately address the barriers to access and the lack of cultural and linguistic appropriateness that exist for the State’s diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups. Access to culturally competent systems of care, bilingual providers, and quality translation and interpreter services increase the utilization of health care and improve health outcomes for communities of color.