News Release
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

 NUMBER:        06-36                                                      DATE:   December 18, 2006   
  FOR RELEASE:         IMMEDIATE                                       CONTACT:   Mike Bowman or   
  http://www.dhs.ca.gov <http://www.dhs.ca.gov/>                     Norma Arceo      (916)-440-7660

STATE HEALTH DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS TO CALIFORNIA COUNCIL ON MULTICULTURAL HEALTH  

SACRAMENTO - California Department of Health Services (CDHS) Director Sandra Shewry today announced the appointments of 12 new members to the California Council on Multicultural Health, a 24-member statewide group of health policy experts who advise and assist the director and CDHS' Office of Multicultural Health (OMH).
 
"The council is an invaluable resource to key programs throughout the department and helped us establish our goal in closing the gaps in health status and access to care among the state's diverse populations," said Shewry. "We deeply appreciate the expertise, commitment, and passion of these community leaders to improve the health of all Californians."

OMH was created in 1993 to expand the capacity of CDHS, health care providers and other community partners to eliminate health disparities and improve the quality of life of California's diverse populations.
 
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown his commitment to improve the effectiveness of services to ethnic and racial communities by signing the following key legislation:
 
·       Assembly Bill 2384 (Leno), which requires CDHS to develop a "Healthy Food Purchase" pilot program to increase the sale and purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income communities.
 
·       Senate Bill1596 (Runner), which requires CDHS to administer and implement a voluntary nurse home visiting grant program to eligible participating counties for the provision of voluntary registered nurse home visiting services for expectant first-time, low-income mothers, their children and their families.
 
·       Assembly Bill 774 (Chan), which will require hospitals to develop and
     implement policies providing discounted payments or charity care for poor
     uninsured or underinsured individuals.
 
·       Assembly Bill 800 (Yee), which requires health facilities, hospitals and clinics to include language preference in patient records.
 
 ·       Assembly Bill 1195 (Coto), which requires cultural and linguistic competency in continuing medical education.
 
·       Assembly Bill 1142 (Dymally), which established the Statewide African-American Initiative to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the health of African-Americans.
 
·       Senate Bill 650 (Ortiz), which established the Improving Access, Counseling and Treatment for Californians with Prostate Cancer Program.

Shewry appointed the following individuals to serve on the council:
 
V. Diane Woods, DrPH, San Bernardino:  For 33 years, she has worked in numerous capacities in the health and health care arena as a public health executive director; clinical director of both acute and non-acute health services, health care administrator, educator, researcher, consultant and public health nurse. As an African-American, she is committed to understanding the causes of health disparities and is determined to advocate for and work toward the creation of primary prevention systems that work to keep people healthy, well, and balanced. Woods is currently assistant research professor at Loma Linda University's School of Public Health and president/CEO of the African-American Health Institute of San Bernardino County. In addition, she is a health disparities scholar with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health's (NIH) 

National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, as well as co-investigator for Loma Linda University's NIH-funded Center for Health Disparities Research. In collaboration with the San Bernardino County Medical Society, Inland Wellness Information Network, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, and more than 50 collaborative partners, she directed and coordinated the African-American Health Initiative, a large-scale, community-based participatory health-planning project funded by The California Endowment.

·       Roxanna Bautista, MPH, San Francisco:  She is director of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) Chronic Diseases Program in San Francisco. Bautista is a strong advocate on behalf of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities and well versed in public health policy issues affecting these groups. She has managed APIAHF's tobacco prevention and control projects and collaborated successfully with multicultural partners across the state as well as nationally. As a child development specialist with the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Bautista led health education classes to improve the welfare of incarcerated women and their children. She has also advocated for services and raised awareness of the needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander cancer survivors in the delivery of care and resources. Bautista is working on publishing two reports focusing on cultural competent recommendations specific to these populations.
 
·       Lupe Alonzo-Diaz, MPA, Sacramento:  She is executive director of the Sacramento-based Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. With more than 10 years experience in policy and program development from an ethnic disparities perspective, Alonzo-Diaz represents a constituency of more than 1,800 statewide member organizations that are supporters of Latino health. Alonzo-Diaz was the primary lead on legislative and budget health issues for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and gained expertise on programmatic issues from a fiscal perspective, including Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. Her community service extends to membership on the Iris Alliance National Fund Board of Directors; Insure the Uninsured Project, California Resource and Referral Network, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network and California First Five Diversity Board. Her professional life has been dedicated to the advancement of improved health outcomes for people of color through political empowerment at the local level.
 

·       Mark P. Espinosa, MPH, San Francisco:  He is executive director of the San Francisco Native American Health Center. Espinosa has enhanced the quality of patient care and services, expanded the San Francisco clinic's capacity to provide care for more clients, diversified funding streams to improve financial stability and increased the center's visibility and support in the neighborhood and community.
 

Under Espinosa's leadership, the center's HIV/AIDS program has grown into a national model for culturally accessible care and education programming. He continues to underscore the clinic's need for and commitment to culturally
appropriate practices in all of its programs and services. Espinosa serves on the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC) Board of Directors, a coalition of 10 health centers, which ensures each partner full participation and equal representation on policy and program areas offered by the SFCCC. He is also the board's delegate to the Healthcare for the Homeless Committee.
 
·       Gordon L. Fung, MD, MPH, San Francisco:  Dr. Fung is a cardiologist and associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, with more than 20 years in medical practice in the city's Chinatown. Fung has personally witnessed many disparities in the delivery of health care because of cultural barriers of language, cultural norms and beliefs. Fung has a close affiliation with Chinese Hospital and the Chinese Community Healthcare Association to
provide high quality services to the community. Since 1999, he has had a distinguished career with the San Francisco Medical Society's Executive Committee, serving as board member, treasurer and president-elect, before assuming his current office as president. As a practicing cardiologist, he has dedicated his efforts to improve the heart health of his patients and of the larger community by creating a model program for multicultural outreach. Fung has served as local president of the San Francisco Division of the American Heart Association (AHA) and provided his expertise on AHA's Task Force on Asian Outreach.
 
·       Britta L. Guerrero, Sacramento:  As the executive director of the Native American Health Center in Sacramento, Guerrero's vision for the center has expanded from comprehensive medical and dental services to implementation of behavioral health services, substance abuse case management, nutritional services and home visitation for at-risk families. She is committed to improving the health status of American Indians and the quality of life of this community in the Sacramento area. Guerrero has facilitated collaborations between the Native American community advocacy groups and the California Department of Mental Health regarding the implementation of Proposition 63 - the Mental Health Services Act - for expansion of local services. She is also currently participating in The Women's Foundation of California, Women's Public Policy Institute and serves on the Native American Community Advocacy Planning and Legislative Action Committee.
 
·       Erika K. Hainley, MSW, Long Beach:  She is the social services manager at The Children's Clinic, a community health center serving children and their families in Long Beach, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation. Hainley supports public policies that will improve health care in California, especially for those who encounter disparities and barriers to their health and seldom have ability
to advocate for themselves. She is in charge of program development, collaboration with community agencies, patient advocacy, quality improvement activities and policy development. Hainley recently completed the Coro Health Leadership Program that is designed to provide participants with training to increase their capacity to make meaningful and lasting decisions within their respective
health care organizations and community collaborative projects. She is also affiliated with community-based organizations, including the Long Beach Homeless Coalition and the Department of Mental Health's Service Area Advisory Council.
 
·       Walter Lam, San Diego:  He is founder, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego-based Alliance for African Assistance (AAA), established in 1989 for the purpose of helping his fellow refugees. He has guided the development of policy research entitled, "Giving Voices to the Voiceless:  An Analysis of the Language and Access Barriers Encountered by Immigrants and Refugees of African Descent.” He was born and raised in northern Uganda, but fled political persecution to Kenya after high school. He attended Egerton University, where he graduated in agricultural engineering. He returned to Uganda in 1981 and worked in government leadership. In 1986, he again fled national unrest to Kenya and by the end of that year found himself in San Diego. Lam is a member of numerous agencies, including the California Refugee Health Advisory Board, California State Advisory Committee for Refugees, California Refugee Forum and United Way's Community Building.


·       Art Martinez, PhD, Shingle Springs:  He is psychologist and clinical director of the Indian Health Board in Mariposa, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. He is a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and a licensed psychologist in California and Nevada. Martinez is recognized for his work in the treatment of post-traumatic stress and child abuse in many tribal communities and was instrumental in establishing the Washoe Family Trauma Healing Center. From 2001 to 2004, Martinez was a member of the National Advisory Council to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. He has received numerous awards from the Indian Health Service in recognition of his leadership in mental health services to the American Indian community and advocacy for culturally competent health care. Martinez is a diplomate in the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and board certified expert in the prevention and intervention of sexual abuse and alcohol and substance abuse. His professional affiliations include the Society of Indian Psychologists, American Psychological Association and National Indian Counselors Association. Martinez has served on the American Indian Advisory Panel, Indian Child Welfare Act Task Force of the California Department of Social Services to increase the capacity of tribal programs and non-Indian organizations to develop effective child welfare systems that impact American Indian children and their families.
 
·       Fa'asalalau "Sala" Mataalii, MN, Carson:  She is founder and board chairman of the Samoan National Nurses Association, established in Carson in 1996 and the only community-based health organization of Samoan professional nurses in the nation. With more than 20 years of experience in nursing supervision and management, combined with in-depth knowledge of Pacific Islanders and their communities, she is proficient in all aspects of community organizing and outreach, collaboration and advocacy. Mataalii has served on the Steering Committee of the Asian and Pacific Islander National Cancer Survivors Network at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum. In addition, her capacity as community liaison officer with the National Association for Advancement of Pacific Islanders provides increased opportunities for creating new partnerships with other stakeholders while maintaining close relationships with current advocates.

·       A. Eric Ramos, MD, FAAPF, Modesto:  He is a Spanish-speaking family physician practicing in Modesto and serving a diverse patient population. He has worked with the California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) in the development and implementation of its provider-training curriculum, "Addressing Language Access in Your Practice.” Ramos has held and continues to hold a variety of leadership positions, serving as current president of CAFP and former chief of staff for Doctors Hospital. Since 1991, Ramos has been an active member of the Stanislaus Medical Society, serving in dual capacity as the current president-elect of its Board of Directors and on the Board of the Physicians Medical Service Bureau. His community involvement also includes serving on U.S. Representative's Dennis Cardoza's Health Care Advisory Council to address rural health issues that impact the Central Valley.
·       Alek Sripipatana, MPH, Los Angeles:  He is research associate at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Health Policy Research (UCLA CHPR). Sripipatana oversees several projects, including identifying health care navigational skills for underserved women in Southern California and training Pacific Islander and Native American community members and grass root organizations on how to use health survey data. Sripipatana is also policy coordinator for "Weaving an Islander Network in Cancer Awareness, Research and Training," a National Cancer Institute-funded program that is a collaboration of eight Pacific Islander-serving community-based organizations and representatives from five universities dedicated to cancer control. Prior to joining the UCLA CHPR, Sripipatana was a researcher for the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland; the Administration on Aging in Washington, D.C.; UCLA's Department of Health Services Research; and UCLA's Department of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. Sripipatana is a former W. K. Kellogg fellow in health policy research and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in public health at UCLA's Department of Community Health Sciences.


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For more information about OMH and the Council on Multicultural Health, log on to http://www.dhs.ca.gov/director/omh.