The California Endowment: A Parent Organization

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(3) At the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, The California Endowment championed it’s third goal: to increase the number of ethnically diverse health care professionals. The program, LC Prime, received a substantial $600,000 grant from The Endowment to set aside eight spots each year for Hispanic medical students “to increase health care capacity in underserved communities” (Smedley 2003). The program has been so successful at building cultural competency and increasing the pipeline of ethnically diverse doctors that many other medical schools in California have adopted similar programs (Potapchuk, 2001).

(4) The last notable program facilitated by the California Endowment to be discussed is Second Chance, a job training program for ex-felons in San Diego. By providing resources to prisoners immediately after release, Second Chance have effectively placed over seventy percent of ex-felons into economically and socially stable careers. With such a high propensity for success, the program has reduced prison re-entry substantially, saving over thirty-five thousand dollars annually.

Thanks to The California Endowment and Dr. Ross’ change in focus, these programs have vastly improved the public health in their corresponding communities (Potapchuk, 2001). Furthermore, the concrete evidence of change occurring locally has influenced broader policy strategy and many state-wide efforts.

5. Make Recommendations

The California Endowment has indeed “gone outside the four walls of the healthcare system, rethink[ing] healthcare beyond doctors, patients, clinics and hospitals”. Specifically, the California Endowment has recommended three core values that every community initiative should strive to accomplish: prevention, education, and community efforts; it is these three recommendations that have formed the basis for all the programs found under the California Endowment.

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Image copyright: The California Endowment, Web.

6. Develop an Action Plan

While the Endowment does not seem to have specific timelines in place, the board of directors has identified a list of ten goals to monitor the progress of their public health programs, measured at a local level. Some notable checkpoints include: (1) all children have health coverage, (2) health resources have shifted towards prevention, and (3) health gaps people of color are narrowed (Stronks, 2008). While this action plan may seem broad and unspecific, the flexibility that such a plan provides is vital to maintaining community discussion and engagement (Potapchuk, 2001).

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, after a strong 50+ years in service, the California Endowment has effectively facilitated the improvement of public health in the communities that it has served. While it was not founded for the purpose of solving a specific healthcare issue, the Endowment has thrived into a strong parent organization. Dr. Robert K. Ross employed the necessary multidisciplinary approach to identify key issues within each unique community and the Endowment has made the necessary recommendations and provided concrete objectives for each initiative. These methods of evaluation and implementation have created long-lasting results that cannot be matched by traditional healthcare approaches.

Works Cited

Brownell, K. D. "The Chronicling of Obesity: Growing Awareness of Its Social, Economic, and Political Contexts." Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law (2005): 955-64. PDF.

"Building Healthy Communities Ten Outcomes for Community Health." The California Endowment. Web. 11 May 2015. .

Maggie, Potapchuk. "The California Endowment: Racial Equity Grantmaking in a Place-Based Initiative." Moving Forward on Racial Justice Philanthropy. Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity. Web. 11 May 2015. .

Smedley, Brian D. "Defining Racial and Ethnic Disparities." Unequal Treatment Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare. Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2003. PDF.

Stronks, Wilson. "One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Diverse Populations." “Improving Quality and Addressing Disparities: Accreditation Standards, Market-Strategies and Levers for Action”. Masschusetts General Hospital, 2008. PDF.

"The California Endowment." Web. 11 May 2015. .

Wilton, Halverson. "History Of Public Health In California." California Department of Public Health: 59-61. 2000. Web. 11 May 2015. .