For media inquiries regarding Foundation program areas and grantmaking, please email rachael.kagan [at] blueshieldcafoundation.org (Rachael Kagan), director of communications and public affairs.
ending the cycle of domestic violence, which has touched the lives of 58% of California adults.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October has been designated as a time to consider the long-lasting and significant personal and societal harms of domestic violence. Of course, the problem is not confined to one month a year; and it is both a cause and a result of issues our society grapples with, such as poverty, racial and gender inequity, and homelessness. This means solutions must include sectors not always associated with the cycle of abuse — like banking, social welfare, and housing. Fortunately, that is starting to happen.
With paid family leave on the agenda in D.C., we have an opportunity to ensure California’s experience informs a better federal policy.
As California opens access to the COVID-19 vaccine for all adults, we need to prioritize those on the front lines, in need of financial resources, in order to reach populations and neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic. The Latinx communities that have been disproportionately impacted are particularly vulnerable because they also face a multitude of economic and social inequities.
Child care is a critical part of the fabric of our society—it supports children’s healthy development and supports their parents and caregivers by enabling them to engage fully in the workforce. Children in child care arrangements receive a range of essential services. Access to nutritious food and the opportunity to establish healthy eating habits at a young age are some of the most fundamental supports provided by child care programs.
Inequities that increase the risk of childhood trauma and domestic violence have worsened during the pandemic. "We envision a future in the Bay Area where leaders, communities and residents unite to prevent pervasive adversities in childhood and promote healthy development.” Alongside Genentech and Futures Without Violence, Blue Shield of California Foundation is going “All in for Kids” in to prevent domestic violence and help kids heal and thrive.
The fast pace of current events, dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic, and uncertainty about the upcoming November 2020 election, and the high stakes for health, equity, and economic recovery are dominating our waking hours and keeping us up at night. The stress is real. And, the impact is not evenly distributed. The pandemic is exploiting and worsening existing inequities, by taking lives and livelihoods. It presents a challenge, a responsibility, and an opportunity.
This is a moment to seize the potential of focusing on child care workers as a linchpin for broader health and economic benefits.
Complex, uncertain and volatile. These words only begin to describe our world today. The pandemic flipped lives upside down, compromising the physical health of over six million people—disproportionately Black, Indigenous and People of Color—and the mental and emotional health of countless more. The urgent calls for racial justice require all of us reflect on our core values and identify ways we can help dismantle systemic racism.
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