New Data Shows Importance of Targeted Outreach in Languages Other than English

On Wednesday July 16th, Covered California released self-reported data on the written and spoken languages of its enrollees in each of the 19 rating regions across the state. The new data reinforces the importance of reaching out to the remaining uninsured in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways (particularly in languages other than English) in order to ensure robust enrollment in 2015.

It is estimated that at least 40% of Californians eligible for subsidies in Covered California speak a language other English; however only 17% of enrollees statewide reported a language other than English as their preferred written or spoken language. These numbers vary greatly between regions. For example, close to half (47%) of enrollees in Region 13 (Mono, Imperial, and Inyo Counties) reported Spanish as their preferred written and spoken language. Similarly, around a third of enrollees in Kern County and Northern Los Angeles County (Regions 14 and 15, respecitvely) and roughly 1 in 4 enrollees in the Central Valley (Regions 10 and 11) reported a language other than English as their preferred written and spoken language.

The data includes regional break-outs for Spanish as well as the other Medi-Cal Managed Care threshold languages: English, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Farsi, Tagalog, Cambodian, Russian, Arabic, Armenian, and Hmong.

There is an opportunity to improve outreach and enrollment in languages other than English. Covered California is planning to award up to $16.9 million in grants, including to community-based organizations, for enrollment assistance during the next enrollment period slated to start November 15, 2014. A portion of the funds will be awarded specifically for targeted outreach and enrollment of hard-to-reach populations including young adults and Limited English Proficient Californians. Covered California’s new language data highlights the importance of continued targeted funding for culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach and enrollment of the remaining uninsured.

Visit Covered California's Open Enrollment Data Book for more detailed enrollee data.

© 2014 | California Pan-Ethnic Health Network | info@cpehn.org MAIN OFFICE: 1221 Preservation Park Way, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94612 Phone: (510) 832-1160 | Fax: (510) 832-1175 SACRAMENTO OFFICE: 1225 8th Street, Suite 470, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 447-1299 | Fax: (916) 447-1292

Local Initiative Aims to Support Boys and Men of Color Exposed to Violence

Dr. Vincent Chong, Youth Alive!

Young men of color are facing a health crisis in the United States. Throughout their life, African American, Latino, and other young men of color are disproportionately affected by violent trauma, both as victims of interpersonal violence and witnesses to community or family trauma.

Exposure to trauma, particularly at an early age, can lead to lifelong mental and physical health problems, as well as health-related behaviors that promote poor outcomes. These outcomes are not limited to health, but also include involvement in the criminal justice system, difficulty with employment, and risk of repeat violent injury.Research has also shown a direct link between violence and achievement in school. For example, students who feel safe at school (87%) are also much more likely to consider attending college compared to those who do not feel safe (69%).

As a response to this health crisis, Youth ALIVE! is working with a network of community partners, health care providers, and young men of color to develop best practices aimed at interrupting this association between traumatic experiences and poor outcomes. After traumatic experiences, individuals may exhibit symptoms of trauma that include difficulty sleeping, restlessness, hyperarousal, difficulty with concentration, and numbing of emotions.

We are currently testing a screening tool that could be broadly used to identify young men who might need help coping with symptoms of trauma. We are also evaluating brief interventions designed to disrupt trauma-based symptoms in the moment, such as self-hand massage, breathing and tensing exercises, and having a stress-reduction safety plan. This work is ongoing for us and we hope to expand its reach in the coming years by testing it in hospitals, clinics, and community settings. It will take many partners and system-level changes to reduce the impact of trauma on these young men so that they are better able to to engage in healthy habits and achieve improved outcomes.

This work is ongoing for us and we hope to expand its reach in the coming years by testing it in hospitals, clinics, and community settings. For more information about Youth ALIVE!, please visit our website at www.youthalive.org.

© 2014 / California Pan-Ethnic Health Network / info@cpehn.org
MAIN OFFICE: 1221 Preservation Park Way, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 832-1160 / Fax: (510) 832-1175 
SACRAMENTO OFFICE: 1225 8th Street, Suite 470, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 447-1299 / Fax: (916) 447-1292