About the Alliance

The California Alliance of Academics and Communities for Public Health Equity (the Alliance) is a new statewide policy, training, and research collaboration. We aim to amplify the voice of schools and programs of public health in partnership with communities disproportionately impacted by health disparities in order to build a common agenda, to grow a workforce dedicated to advancing health equity and to catalyze substantive policy change.  

Origin and Development: In 2016, the University of California, Berkeley, together with statewide schools and programs of public health, convened Deans, Directors, and Chairs to build the California Schools and Programs of Public Health Network (CA-SPPH). With the support of the Public Health Institute and our funders and partners, CA-SPPH came together in 2022 to develop a statewide learning network called the California Alliance of Schools and Programs of Public Health (Cal-SPPH Alliance), focused on addressing the needs and interests of communities most impacted by health inequities.

Cal-SPPH Alliance quickly recognized the importance of collaborating with government public health and community-based organizations to more effectively and symbiotically advance health equity on the ground. With a mandate to ensure that Cal-SPPH Alliance authentically responds to the priorities of underserved communities, we began launching relationships with public health departments and community organizations statewide.

In January 2023, Cal-SPPH Alliance was re-named the California Alliance of Academics and Communities for Public Health Equity (the Alliance) to better align with our collective mission and values.

Today, the Alliance has since assembled a network of 286+ leaders from community-based organizations (CBOs) and local health departments (LHDs), as well as faculty, chairs, deans, and students from 33 (out of 35) CA schools and programs of public health (SPPH). The Alliance has surpassed most of its expected outcomes, including funding community-academic health equity partnerships, organizing issue-specific action groups, and advocating for health equity policy. It has also collaborated and leveraged collective impact with synergistic organizations, sharing resources to advance mutual objectives. For example, collaborating with two other PHI projects, Together Toward Health and CA4Health, and serving as co-leader with the Center for Wellness and Nutrition, for a recently funded program of the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. The Alliance and partners have developed a shared health equity policy agenda, shared antiracism curricula and training, and fostered community-academic partnerships. 

We continue to highlight and extend the influence of our members’ great work, symbiosis, on-the-ground interventions, workforce development, and goal of accelerating substantive policy change. We are advancing health equity in California by catalyzing the collective power of academics, students, programs, and communities most impacted by health inequities.

Values

  • Advocacy

    We take action to inform policy and collectively advocate for urgently needed change.

  • Collaboration

    We are committed to authentic collaboration between public health and social justice leaders within academia, government, and communities in order to advance health equity.

  • Community

    We will build authentic and sustainable academic-community partnerships dedicated to addressing health inequalities.

  • Diversity

    We aim to build a diverse public health workforce - the next generation of changemakers.

  • Health Equity

    We believe that every person has a right to their optimum level of health.

  • Innovation

    We innovate and act in ways that create value for individuals, families, and communities - particularly those historically impacted by discrimination.

  • Evidence to Action

    We commit to leveraging data to evaluate our efforts, monitor progress, identify problems, and inform action.

 2022-2024 AREAS OF IMPACT

Membership

  1. Since the creation of the Alliance, membership has increased from 54 members to 286 members (81% increase).

  2. Expanded to include both academic and community-based organizations partners (0-153).

  3. Our expansive membership network demonstrates the importance of and potential for widespread collective impact. We are proud to have members in all regions of California.


Policy Advocacy

In 2023, the Alliance supported a total of 11 bills:

  1. Seven became state laws.

    1. AB-28 (Gabriel) The Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, imposes an 11% tax on the retail sale of guns and ammunition to fund programs that address the causes and harms of gun violence.  

    2. AB-631 (Hart) increases civil and other penalties for violations of the state's governing oil and gas statutes.

    3. AB-665 (Carrillo) gives all youth 12 and older the same opportunity to access mental health care, regardless of insurance type. Signing message found here.

    4. AB-1071 (Hoover) Teen dating violence prevention education online information and resources.

    5. AB-1283 (Chen) authorizes a local educational agency to make emergency stock albuterol inhalers available on campus (K-12).

    6. SB-2 (Portantino) Concealed Carry Weapon Licensing Laws & Penal Code updates (press release).

    7. SB-770 (Wiener) the universal care bill to put California on the path toward single-payer health care.

  2. Two were vetoed by Governor Newsom.

    1. AB-576 (Weber) would have required the Department of Health Care Services to review and update Medi-Cal coverage policies for medication abortion to align with current evidence-based clinical guidelines. Veto message here.

    2. SB-541 (Menjivar) Reproductive/sexual health bill would have required all CA public high schools to make free condoms available to students and prohibit retailers from refusing to sell condoms to youth. Veto message here.   

  3. The remaining two were held in committee.

    1. AB- 1028 (McKinnor) would eliminate a law mandating that health care professionals report all suspicions of domestic violence and abuse to law enforcement, regardless of the survivor’s preference or safety. Status: held in Senate Appropriations

    2. SB-655 (Durazo) would make it easier for victims and family members to get financial, medical, and legal support through the state’s Victim Compensation, removing barriers that disproportionally impact Black, Brown, and marginalized individuals. Status: held in Senate Appropriations

The Alliance also supported two additional advocacy and policy issues:

  1. Endorsed the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California to uphold the 2022 law (SB1137) that prohibits toxic oil drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, day care centers, parks, healthcare facilities and businesses. Learn more here: https://www.phequityalliance.org/oil-and-gas-in-ca

  2. The Alliance also sent letters of support regarding wage increases for Community Health Worker/Promotora/Representatives (CHW/P/Rs).

Learn more about our 2023 legislative wins here: https://www.phequityalliance.org/celebrating-our-state-legislative-wins-for-2023

The Alliance is supporting 4 bills for the 2024 legislative session. They include:

  1. AB-3155 (Freidman) Would hold oil and gas companies legally responsible for certain illnesses contracted within 3,200 feet of a well.

  2. ACA-16 (Bryan) Amends the California Constitution to declare that the people shall have a right to clean air and water and a healthy environment.

  3. AB-1252 (Wicks) This bill proposes the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to study and issue a public report on improving the implementation, coordination, and efficacy of gun violence prevention laws.

  4. AB-3127 (McKinnor) Ensures survivors can access healthcare services by creating a survivor-centered, trauma-informed approach and limit healthcare provider mandated reports to law enforcement to only firearm and life-threatening injuries.

Learn more about our policy priorities for 2024 here: https://www.phequityalliance.org/advocacy#policybriefs


Community Building

The Community Action Fund (CAF), a new flagship funding program, was created to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations statewide. Last summer, the Alliance announced the selection of seven organizations that received grants totaling more than $130,000 from the Fund. The seven CAF funded organizations use a health equity lens to impact change in one of the following three key areas: health workforce development, environment and health, and violence prevention. Each project is a collaboration between a supported community organization and a California-based school or program of public health.

  1. Through our Community Action Fund (CAF) we invested $131,000 to strengthen the capacity of seven community-based organizations: La Clínica de La Raza, Little Manila Rising, Local Clean Energy Alliance, Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project, Raizes Collective, San Diego Youth Services, and Youth Leadership Institute.

  2. In January of 2024, in honor of Dr. King’s Legacy, we reinvested an additional $44,450 to CAF recipients.

Learn more about our CAF program here: https://www.phequityalliance.org/caf


Partnerships & Collaboration

  1. In 2023, we launched three collaborative issue-based action groups that bring together academic and community experts to tackle key public health issues, learn from each other, and advance statewide solutions.

  2. Our three action groups focus on the public health workforce, violence prevention, and the environment & health.

Learn more about our action groups here: https://www.phequityalliance.org/action

Priorities for 2024

 
 

Public Health Training & Practice

Preparing a more diverse and antiracist public health workforce in California by developing shared curricula and training on health equity, social determinants, and antiracism in schools and programs of public health.

 

Policy Advocacy and Communication

Amplifying the collective voice of community, government, and academic partners to inform policy change, educate the public, and advance health equity by developing a common policy agenda.

 

Strengthen Community Collaboration

Nurturing academic-community partnerships to address research and health equity needs and priorities in underserved communities, ensuring that community voice is a driver in research and action priorities.

Ways to Get Involved

Become a Member

Join an Action Group

Work for the Alliance