Foundation News & Announcements

For media inquiries regarding Foundation program areas and grantmaking, please email rachael.kagan [at] blueshieldcafoundation.org (Rachael Kagan), director of communications and public affairs.

News

Debbie Chang, foundation president and CEO, shares reflections on the 2024 Grantmakers for Effective Organizations conference. 

Debbie Chang, foundation president and CEO, shares reflections on the 2024 Grantmakers for Effective Organizations conference. 

One in five women who become homeless in California flee their homes to escape violence and escalating abuse by an intimate partner, a new analysis of a statewide survey has reported.

Research indicates that an estimated 20 percent of health outcomes are linked to medical care; the remaining 80 percent stem from socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors referred to as social drivers of health (DOH). These factors — such as homelessness, food insecurity, and exposure to intimate partner violence — are associated with chronic illness, mental health issues, acute hospitalizations, and high health care costs and disproportionately impact communities of color.

Three evaluation leaders, including our very own Chief Evaluation and Strategy Director, Ana Jackson, share how they are fostering more equitable approaches to evaluation to ensure they are putting the people they serve at the center of their work. 

"The Guaranteed Income Pooled Fund provides us with the opportunity to invest in a first-of-its-kind statewide initiative that creates a path to economic security, and one that ultimately leads to greater health equity and well-being in communities where it is needed most,” said Asma Day, program manager working to strengthen economic security and mobility at Blue Shield of California Foundation.

How breaking down silos in health and social services can enable collaboration and reduce intimate partner violence.

How breaking down silos in health and social services can enable collaboration and reduce intimate partner violence.

A study by Carolyn Wang Kong, and our own Ana Jackson and Courtnee Hamity, along with Jennifer Green, sheds light on gaps in state health equity data for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, and shows the need for better representation for this fastest growing racial and ethnic group. 

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed long-standing racial and economic injustices embedded in our health care system. This has led to a renewed commitment to improve health equity and address the drivers of health (DoH) that account for 80 percent of health outcomes and have a disproportionate impact on communities of color. These include stable, affordable housing; healthy food; reliable income; and interpersonal safety, among others.

Intersections

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