News

Eastern Plumas Health Care enhances emergency response capabilities with new portable shelters!

Thanks to over $450,000 investment from the COVID-19 Test to Treat Equity Grant Program, run by Physicians for a Healthy California with support from the California Department of Public Health, Eastern Plumas Health Care (EPHC) recently unveiled state-of-the-art portable shelters that will transform their disaster response and health care delivery.

“These shelters are completely self-contained with heat, air conditioning, generator, lighting, and air purification systems,” said Joanna Garneau, EPHC program manager. “With the addition of hot water, sanitizer handwashing stations, and 10 individual exam rooms and beds, this shelter can easily be deployed to support expanded clinic or emergency room space as needed.”

Designed for versatility, the shelters can serve as command centers, vaccination sites or emergency medical extensions. Whether responding to health emergencies or disasters, EPHC is equipped to act swiftly.

“With these shelters, EPHC will respond to disasters and health emergencies more effectively. Should something require this level of preparedness, we will be ready,” Garneau added.

In total, the COVID-19 Test to Treat Equity Grant program awarded approximately $72 million to 243 safety-net providers, public health systems, pharmacies, community-based and faith-based organizations serving 11+ million patients throughout California. 

Congratulations to EPHC on this milestone!

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PHC reflects on over 60 years of service during December, the Big Month of Giving

December is the Big Month of Giving and Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) has been honored to complete another year of service to California’s patients. For over 60 years, PHC has worked tirelessly to ensure patients have access to high quality, affordable health care. PHC also empowers medical students to develop educational, advocacy and service-related projects and inspire the next generation of California’s physician leaders. 

PHC’s MedStudentsServe program does just that by empowering medical students like Gwendolyn Lee. Now a resident of internal medicine at UCSF, Ms. Lee co-founded an organization called “Students vs Pandemics,” a group of students overcoming traditional academic silos to address complex, real-world challenges that require intersectoral, interdisciplinary innovation. 

While attending medical school at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Ms. Lee launched Homeless Healthcare Collaborative, a chapter of Students vs Pandemics. Through MedStudentsServe, PHC provided funds to develop packages for the local homeless population that included surgical masks, hand sanitizers, feminine products, sunscreen, oral hygiene kits and other products. With support from PHC, the collaborative was able to provide 100 packages for those most vulnerable during a global pandemic.

The collaborative also encouraged medical students to reflect on the importance of social determinants of health and exposed them to community partners by working with numerous nonprofits during Westwood Connect Day, a community event bringing together a broad range of service providers, community partners, governmental agencies and volunteers to serve individuals experiencing homelessness.

Lee is one of many young future physicians who PHC has supported over the last six decades. Our work at PHC is not possible without the continued investment of our supporters. This month, PHC asks that you consider investing in the health of California’s patients by donating to PHC so that we can continue to inspire students like Ms. Lee and help bridge the gap in health disparities with programs like MedStudentsServe.
 

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MedStudentsServe application open until January 10, 2025

PHC is excited to launch the fourth application cycle of MedStudentsServe, a program supporting medical student organizations in their efforts to serve communities across California. From now until January 10, medical students can apply for up to $2,500 to fund educational, advocacy, community service and outreach projects that go beyond standard medical education to address pressing health care needs in underserved populations. A special focus is placed on projects that fill funding gaps typically unmet by medical schools or other local resources.

In past cycles, MedStudentsServe projects have made a meaningful difference, providing services such as free vision screenings for uninsured individuals, mental health outreach, support for undocumented residents enrolling in Medi-Cal, free ultrasound screenings for minority groups and culturally sensitive medical resources. 

To date, these projects have bridged the resource and service gap for over 5,000 patients in California, underscoring PHC’s commitment to improving community health.

We encourage everyone to share this opportunity with those who may be interested in expanding their impact—invite them to submit an application by the January 10, 2025, deadline and join us in our mission to enhance health and well-being across the state.
 

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CalMedForce awards more than $25 million to expand California’s physician workforce

On November 22, 2024, CalMedForce announced its seventh cohort of awardees. The CalMedForce program, in partnership with the University of California, funds residency positions at graduate medical education (GME) programs throughout California. The program—made possible by the Prop 56 tobacco tax—addresses the state’s physician shortage, particularly in underserved communities where patients often lack access to timely, high quality health care. 

This year’s total investment in CalMedForce was a little over $25 million. In this cycle, 142 programs were awarded to support 184 resident positions. 

CalMedForce funded 30 new programs, 14 existing programs and 98 current programs. Among the awarded programs, an average of 78% of their patient load is Medi-Cal, dual-eligible, indigent and uninsured patients. 

This application cycle, PHC received 173 applications from GME programs across California. In total, requests from applicants totaled $136 million to fund 773 resident positions. 

To date, CalMedForce has awarded more than $251 million to fund 1,366 resident positions across 31 California counties.
 

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PHC honors CalHealthCares Cohort 1 awardees at CMA’s House of Delegates

On October 25, 2024, during the California Medical Association House of Delegates, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) hosted CalHealthCares’ first cohort of awardees to celebrate their ongoing efforts to expand access to care by working with patients most in need of affordable, quality care. 

Following the reception, PHC hosted an intimate dinner for awardees. During the dinner, PHC CEO Lupe Alonzo-Diaz thanked the CalHealthCares awardees for their individual and collective efforts as the inaugural cohort. The evening provided an opportunity for organization leaders to connect with awardees directly to receive feedback on their experience and insights on how the program can continue to make positive impacts throughout the state. 

The CalHealthCares loan repayment program provided Cohort 1 awardees support funds to reduce their educational debt burden in exchange for five years of service to Medi-Cal patients. When Cohort 1 first kicked off, it welcomed 277 physician and dentist awardees. With final award disbursements still in process, it is estimated that this cohort will receive $55.5 million in total funding.

As of October 2024, Cohort 1 awardees collectively demonstrated an average increase of 7.5% in their required Medi-Cal patient caseload.

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Speaker announcement: 2025 Health Equity Leadership Summit

Uché Blackstock, M.D., best-selling author, speaker, physician and founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity (AHE), will speak at Physicians for a Healthy California’s 2025 Health Equity Leadership Summit. 

Join us for a fireside chat where she will discuss her best-selling book, LEGACY: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine, a captivating story of a Black physician, her career in medicine and the deep inequities that still exist in the U.S. health care system.

In 2019, Dr. Blackstock founded AHE with the mission of partnering with health care organizations to dismantle racism in health care and to close the gap in racial health inequities. Clients of AHE include Johnson and Johnson, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and New York State Department of Public Health.

Dr. Blackstock appears regularly on MSNBC and NBC News and is a former associate professor in the NYU School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine and the former faculty director for recruitment, retention and inclusion in the Office of Diversity Affairs. 

She was recognized by Forbes magazine, in 2019, as one of “10 Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazers You Need to Get Familiar With,” in 2023 by Fortune Magazine as one of “13 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health” and in 2024 as one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in Health.”

During the Summit, Dr. Blackstock will also be participating in a book signing where PHC will have copies available to purchase, but you are welcome to bring your personal copy as well.

This is an opportunity you will not want to miss, so register now using code 25FOR25 to get 25% off early bird pricing! 

If you are interested in sponsoring the Summit, please email healthequitysummit@phcdocs.org for more information on sponsorship levels and pricing.
 

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Early detection, lifesaving action: Tackling California’s lung cancer screening crisis

As California faces the distinction of ranking last in the nation for lung cancer screening rates, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) is stepping up to address this critical public health challenge.

In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, PHC is excited to highlight an innovative pilot project in collaboration with AstraZeneca and Sutter Health. Focused on 13 target zip codes in Central and Northern California, the project combines quantitative and qualitative research methods to identify barriers preventing patients from accessing low-dose computed tomography scans—an essential tool for early detection of lung cancer. By understanding the perspectives of both physicians and patients, this initiative aims to craft solutions that improve access, awareness and outcomes.

Early detection saves lives, and this project exemplifies PHC's commitment to forging partnerships that make a difference. PHC also participated in a legislative briefing alongside the California Cancer Caucus, emphasizing the urgency of improving lung cancer screening rates and positioning California as a model for early detection nationwide.

Together, through collaboration and innovation, PHC is working to address the barriers to lung cancer screening and help more Californians receive the lifesaving care they need.

Stay tuned for updates as we share insights and outcomes from this project in the coming months.
 

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Happy Tails, happy trails

On November 14, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) staff members volunteered at Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter in Sacramento dedicated to rescuing and caring for abandoned, abused and homeless cats. Since 1993, Happy Tails has been a pivotal part of the Sacramento community, providing safe refuge and medical care for animals in need. In addition to providing refuge, they manage several feral cat colonies in the Sacramento area, which helps address the region’s pet overpopulation problem.

During the visit, PHC’s team worked hard at work cleaning cat trees, replacing bedding and performing deep cleaning to ensure the sanctuary’s fuzzy residents have a clean and comfortable environment. Of course, we couldn’t resist spending some quality time with the sanctuary’s fluffy friends, whose playful spirits and purrs reminded us why this work is so important. To further support Happy Tails’ mission, we made a small donation of treats and litter, helping them continue their incredible work in providing care and second chances for countless cats.
 

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Over $25 million awarded to expand health care workforce programs and address California's physician shortage

Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) announced more than $25 million in CalMedForce awards across the state to support new and existing residency positions to help grow the California physician workforce.

This seventh round of CalMedForce funding, generated by the voter-approved Proposition 56 tobacco tax of 2016 and administered by PHC, will support 184 residency positions in 142 graduate medical education (GME) programs at hospitals and clinics that provide care to medically underserved groups and communities.

“The continued increase in applications over the last seven years demonstrates the high demand and need for graduate medical education funding in California to close our physician shortage gap,” said PHC President and CEO Lupe Alonzo-Diaz, MPA. “CalMedForce funds provide essential support to residency programs to continue to grow the physician workforce and ensure access to care for all Californians.”

PHC, in partnership with the University of California (UC), established the CalMedForce grant program to help address California’s physician shortage. UC is the designated recipient of Proposition 56 funding and has contracted with PHC to administer CalMedForce. All accredited residency programs in the state that meet grant eligibility guidelines are eligible to apply for funding. Of this year’s CalMedForce awardees, 25 of the 142 awarded GME programs are affiliated with UC.

“The costs and demands to sustain, retain, and expand accredited graduate medical education programs have increased. Additional resources are needed to strengthen and grow the health care workforce of California, particularly for medically underserved groups and communities,” said Deena McRae, M.D., Associate Vice President for Academic Health Sciences in the UC Office of the President. “Funding of these residency programs helps the state take critical steps towards improving access to health care for all Californians across the state and achieving health equity.”

Even though the CalMedForce program endured a significant reduction in funding in the FY 2024-25 Budget Act, leading to an immediate decrease in grant support for GME programs statewide, this application cycle reinforced the high demand and need for GME funding across California. However, at least temporarily, the reduction results in fewer physicians serving Medi-Cal patients, fewer providers in health professional shortage areas, and a decrease in the number of physicians who train and remain in California. (California has the highest post-residency physician retention rate in the nation, with 78% of residents who train here staying to practice in California after residency.)

This cycle marks the largest applicant pool to date, with 173 programs requesting over $137 million in funding to support 773 resident positions.

To put the growing physician shortage into perspective, the number of physicians completing residencies in California has not kept up with the number of primary care physicians retiring. The California Future Health Workforce Commission estimates California will have a 4,100-clinician shortfall by 2030.

CalMedForce is committed to supporting as many GME programs as possible to address California's physician shortage. Given the reduced funding this cycle, CalMedForce explored various strategies to maximize impact, including reduced award amounts and employing other methodologies to balance breadth and depth. This approach allowed us to stretch resources across more programs while maintaining essential support where needed most.

To date, CalMedForce has awarded over $251.7 million for 780 grants to 180 GME programs across California to retain and expand residency slots in primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology) and emergency medicine.

For more information, visit CalMedForce.org. (@PHCdocs / #CalMedForce)

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PHC report offers early insights from California’s health equity officers

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid rise in the number of California health care organizations hiring chief health equity officers (CHEOs) – individuals tasked with stewarding the critical work of advancing health equity. 

Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) – the philanthropic arm of the California Medical Association (CMA) – recently published "The Long Road Toward Health Equity: Early Insights from California’s Chief Health Equity Officers,” a report that seeks to understand the responsibilities, priorities and experiences of California’s rising CHEOs. 

PHC’s report, published with support from the California Health Care Foundation, provides a  valuable snapshot of the characteristics of those who have assumed senior health equity roles and provides insight into the development and implementation of the infrastructure and partnerships necessary to identify, target and improve health equity.  

PHC surveyed 22 CHEOs (or individuals who hold equivalent positions) and interviewed 15 additional individuals to illuminate the challenges they face in advancing health equity within their organizations. The findings offer insight into the characteristics of CHEOs and their organizations, the context within which they are attempting to address disparities, and what they believe are the keys and obstacles to success. 

Most CHEOs understand that achieving true health equity will take years, if not decades – and it is vital that expectations be tempered by a clear recognition of the complexity and magnitude of the problem. Patience – especially at this earliest stage – is essential as CHEOs work to build the necessary health equity infrastructure within their organizations and communities and encourage the adoption of a health equity lens across all organizational activities. Ultimately, they emphasize success will be a world in which the role of the CHEO is no longer necessary.

Read the full report here.

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