Voices for Change 2025

• Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025
• Time: 8:30am – 6:00pm PT (breakfast, lunch, and reception included)
• Location: The California Endowment’s Redwood Room
• Address: 1000 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
• Parking: Free parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis

Every two years, CPEHN holds the Voices for Change Conference, where we bring together policymakers, elected officials, non-profits, and community organizations to share their thoughts and expertise on a wide variety of health equity policy areas. Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Build community and connections with others in the health equity advocacy space
  
• Hear the latest in policy and research successes, challenges, and opportunities to advance health equity
  
• Develop knowledge and identify shared goals to deepen public understanding of health equity and increase public advocacy

Our afternoon educational workshops, co-led by an amazing group of policy experts and grassroots organizers, will allow attendees to build deep knowledge in:

• The financing of health care, especially the roles of consolidation and private equity
  
• Governance and decision-making in health care
  
• The role of grassroots organizing and movement building in shaping health care

Finally, intentionally facilitated dialogues at each table will allow attendees to connect with co-conspirators from your region, share learnings and curiosities, and develop concrete action steps together. Interpretation will be provided so that all attendees can actively engage with each other!

As hospitals, insurers and physician practices are increasingly acquired by large health systems and private equity firms, decisions about care are being driven by profit, not patients. This workshop will examine how corporate consolidation in health care — from hospital mergers to private-equity takeovers — is affecting patient access, quality of care, and financial burdens on communities, particularly communities of color. It will also outline practical steps patients and advocates can take to push for change.

Speakers:

• Sophia Tripoli, Senior Director of Health Policy, Families USA
• Ian Lewis, Policy Director, UNITE HERE
• Selene Betancourt, Senior Policy Manager, CPEHN
• Linette Lomeli, Executive Director, Madera Coalition for Community Justice

Equity is fundamentally about power; who has power, who doesn’t have power, and how to shift and shape power for our communities. In order to achieve health equity, the relationship between governments and the people they serve must change, which requires a foundational shift away from “providing services to those in need” to partnering with Californians who have been underserved and poorly served to co-design, implement, and evaluate initiatives, programs, and services that will address the root causes of their needs. This workshop will discuss bright spots, challenges, and lessons learned in how governments can begin to share their power with communities.

Speakers:

• Mayra E. Alvarez, President, The Children’s Partnerships
• Nanette Star, California Consortium for Urban Indian Health
• Daniela Flores, Co-founder & Executive Director, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice
• Maria Tafolla, Community Health Partnerships Director, Health Share of Oregon
• Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director, CPEHN

What will it take to build a health care system that truly serves us all? It starts with people power. In this interactive workshop, two community leaders will share powerful stories of building power with their communities, the challenges they’ve faced, and the victories they’ve won. We’ll uncover strategies to connect local movements with statewide and national fights, and explore how local communities, not just policymakers, are driving bold, transformative change toward a health care system all of us deserve.

Speakers:

• Sejal Patel, Executive Director, RC Foundation, Rising Communities
• Leila Khader, Regional Political Organizer, SEIU-UHW
• Samantha Schwimmer, Southern California Regional Organizer, CPEHN

• 9:00am: Welcome and Land Acknowledgment
• 9:30am: Health Equity in Action Award and Community Power Award
• 10:00am: Opening Plenary – Reimagining the Future: Why Connection is the Key
• 11:30am: Facilitated Table Dialogue
• 12:00pm: Lunch
• 1:00pm: Educational Workshops
• 2:45pm: Facilitated Table Dialogue
• 3:45pm: Collective Action Map
• 4:30pm: Closing Performance
• 5:00pm: Reception