The California Wellness Foundation

Our newest e-newsletter is live! We’re excited to share highlights from our recent grantmaking, and how we’re acting on feedback from community partners: https://lnkd.in/gywPcyvW Stay up-to-date on the work we’re doing by subscribing here: https://lnkd.in/g4TRDJR  #WellnessMatters #Philanthropy 

At Cal Wellness, we invest our endowment dollars to drive health through economic opportunity. That’s why we back Slauson & Co.’s venture capital funds led by people of color who prioritize innovative startups that strengthen communities and foster inclusion across the tech sector. #ImpactInvesting #Diversity #Innovation #SocialChange https://lnkd.in/gH5J6mEP (cc: TechCrunch)

🌟 We celebrate the leadership of Dr. Mark Ghaly, who was instrumental in shaping the future of health care in California. 🌟   As California Health & Human Services Agency Secretary, Dr. Ghaly was a strong advocate for health equity through the Office of Health Care Affordability, the California Healthy For All Commission, the state’s response to the COVID pandemic and expanding Medi-Cal services beyond the doctor’s office through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).  We thank Dr. Ghaly for his service to California and wish him the best in the next chapter of his life. https://lnkd.in/gkW_tvqk

September 5 is International Day of Indigenous Women, a commemoration of the Aymara warrior Bartolina Sisa, a fierce leader in the fight against Spanish colonial rule. We celebrate today in recognition of ALL Indigenous women—past, present, and around the globe—who are the keepers and protectors of Indigenous cultures and ancestral wisdom. Learn more about Bartolina Sisa, a symbol of colonial resistance and Indigenous sovereignty ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eyfCtqUN #InternationalDayOfIndigenousWomen #DiaInternacionalDeLaMujerIndigena #BartolinaSisa #IndigenousWomenRising #NativeWomen #IndigenousWomen #NativeLed #UpliftNativeWomen #IndigenousSovereignty

Back to school shouldn’t mean back to violence.    Guns are the leading cause of death for American children. We must stop the gun violence epidemic responsible for today’s tragic school shooting in Georgia and the everyday community violence that doesn’t make the news.    If you’re like us, outraged and saddened by senseless gun violence, then you must raise your voice to affirm that it does not have to be this way.    https://lnkd.in/gXz7EF54 #StopGunViolence #CommunityHealth #PublicSafety #GunViolencePrevention #GeorgiaTragedy

Basic income improves health through economic stability for low-income people. The Center for Community Voices at California State University, Fresno is excited to host a screening of the new documentary “It’s Basic," an eye-opening look at the power of no-strings-attached cash income to transform lives and communities.      The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s executive producer Michael Tubbs and Fresno residents participating in the city’s first- ever guaranteed income program, supported by a Cal Wellness grant. Join on Tuesday, September 24, at Maya Cinemas. RSVP for free at:  bit.ly/itsbasicfresno Watch the trailer here: https://lnkd.in/gFniZVcP

Cal Wellness is proud to be a trailblazer as a private foundation making grants to C4 organizations. Learn why and how we did it to advance health through civic engagement in communities of color. https://lnkd.in/gXCn3-nA   GHJ, Alliance for Justice, SoCal Grantmakers, Grantmakers In Health, The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

As a health funder, Cal Wellness understands that wealth and health disparities are inextricably linked. We applaud these new recommendations for how Los Angeles can repair the harm of slavery and racial discrimination uniquely experienced by Black Angelenos.    Thank you to the LA Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department and Los Angeles Reparations Advisory Commission for this comprehensive analysis and recommendations in the areas of addressing historical and systemic racism; reparations and restorative justice; public health and environmental justice; housing and economic equity; education and employment; criminal justice reform; cultural recognition and empowerment; and policy development and implementation.    Additional thanks to Black Equity Collective, California Black Freedom Fund, UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, Curren Price, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Heather Hutt, California State University, Northridge’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences & Research Team, Mocking Bird Analytics, The City of Los Angeles Reparations Advisory Commission: A Unit of LA Civil Rights.   Read the executive summary here: https://lnkd.in/ghdqJchY

This week, the Ethnic Media Services 2024 Conference and Expo in Sacramento honored David Littlefield, Cal Wellness’ public affairs manager, and Debra Nakatomi, CEO of NakatomiPR and Cal Wellness' board member, for their respective partnerships with EMS in strengthening California’s ethnic media. Cal Wellness is proud to support ethnic media outlets to cover issues and stories that advance health equity for their communities.  

Access to primary care is essential for good health, but its importance is often overlooked in underserved communities. A new report from California’s top health care leaders explains why and recommends a roadmap for change. How has access to primary care changed your health for the better? Share your stories in the comments! (Thanks to all who contributed to the report: California Health Care Foundation, Mathematica, Diane Rittenhouse, MD, MPH, Rebeckah Muratore, Deliya Wesley, PhD, MPH, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, California Department of Health Care Services, Chapa-De Indian Health, Virginia Center for Health Innovation, 211 San Diego, Center for Care Innovations, The California Endowment, UCSF SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, California Health Care Foundation, Disability Rights California, California Department of Health Care Access and Information, Partnership HealthPlan of California, The SCAN Foundation, California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems , Turning Point Community Programs, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Black Health Network, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Access California) #HealthEquity #PrimaryCare #CaliforniaHealthcare https://lnkd.in/gXeDV3Wj