Key Health Initiatives and Documents

• California Health Literacy Initiative
• California Healthy Cities and Communities are involved with the Center for Civic Partnerships to "improve the quality of life in California communities in order to meet the Healthy People 2000 goals."
• Healthy Families is a program run by the state of California to provide health care to otherwise uninsured children.
• HRSA's US-Mexico Border Health Site provides general information on border health projects and issues, as well as an extensive listing of related links.
• NASBE State School Healthy Policy Database provides information about school health policies at the state level.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Resources

• California Governor's Office of Emergency Services
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• NN/LM Emergency Preparedness & Response Toolkit

Library Information

• California Library Association is the state association for libraries, library staff and library supporters.
• California's Library schools are:
  • San José State University School of Library and Information Science
  • UC Berkeley School of Information Management and Systems
  • UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
• California's NN/LM Resource Libraries are:
  • Loma Linda University, Del E. Webb Memorial Library
  • Stanford University, Lane Medical Library
  • University of California, Davis, Carlson Health Sciences Library
  • University of California, Irvine, Science Library
  • University of California, Los Angeles, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library
  • University of California, San Diego, Biomedical Library
  • University of California, San Francisco, Library and Center for Knowledge Management
  • University of Southern California, Norris Medical Library (also Wilson Dental Library)
• California School Library Association is an organization of library media teachers, classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, district and county coordinators of curriculum, media and technology, and others committed to enriching student learning by building a better future for school libraries.
• California State Library is the central reference and research library for state government and legislature, and provides support to the state library system.
• Infopeople is a project that improves the quality of information access to the people of California by upgrading the skills, resources, and tools available through libraries.
• Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona (MLGSCA) is the chapter of the Medical Library Association for southern California.
• Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group (NCNMLG) is the chapter of the Medical Library Association for northern California.
• The NN/LM Membership Directory includes Network members in California. Search by city, county, state, zip code or area code. You can also search by institution, library, or staff member's name, or limit by type of library or other features. Make sure your browser cookies are turned on.

Statistical Information

• California Perspectives in Healthcare is available through the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, and provides an overview of health care facilities and services on both a state and county level.
• California State Association of Counties provides profiles of all 58 counties.
• Census 2000 Data for California
• Statehealthfacts.org, is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and is designed to provide free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states.
• State of California, Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit, provides demographic information on the state.
• State of California Data provides raw State data files, databases, geographic data, and other data sources. Raw State data files can be reused by citizens and organizations for their own web applications and mashups.
• State of California Statistics are provided by the California Department of Public Health for the state.

Special Populations

This section discusses groups of individuals who share common characteristics that set them apart from the population at large. These shared characteristics can vary considerably, including racial and/or ethnic background, socioeconomic status, geographic location, age, gender and so on. It is important to understand issues facing various population groups, as they can effect a group's health status. This is a partial listing of the incredible diversity present in California, and currently includes African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, Basques, Hispanics, Migrant Farmworkers, and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders. Although many health conditions are present across population groups (for example, heart disease is ), there can be significant differences in the incidence of many diseases from group to group. For example, although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death across groups in the US, the death rates from the condition was about 30 percent higher among African American adults than among white adults in 1998. Another alarming trend is that although African Americans and Hispanics represented only 25 percent of the US population in 1999, they accounted for roughly 55 percent of adult AIDS cases and 82 percent of pediatric AIDS cases.

• Office of Minority Health is a national organization that provides statistical and program information as well as links to other related sites.
• Office of Multicultural Health is a department of the state of California that promotes improvement of the health of diverse population groups in the state.
• Population Group Topics, from MEDLINEplus, gives access to information on a variety of different population groups.
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Status is a fact sheet provided by the Centers for Disease Control.
• StateHealthFacts.org, from the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides links on minority health.

African American

African Americans face significantly different health issues than many other population groups. For example, the population group has by far the highest cancer incidence and death rate overall, and even for the few individual cancers where it's incidence rate is not the highest (breast cancer, cervical cancer), it still has the highest death rate. In California overall, about 7% of the general population is African American, although in some communities, such as View Park--Windsor Hills, this number can go as high as 88%.

• African American Health, a MEDLINEplus topic sheet, provides links to a variety of health information for and about people of African American descent.
• Black Infant Health Program is designed to reduce infant mortality in the African American community. Currently, African American children are twice as likely to die before their first birthday than any other population group.
• The Black Population in the United States, part of the Census site, provides detailed demographic information on the African American population.

American Indian

The entire state of California is part of the California Area Indian Health Service. Tribes in California are incredibly diverse, and include Karuk, Maidu, Miwok, Paiute, Pomo, Shoshone, Tolowa, Wiyot, Yurok and many others. California has the largest American Indian population, estimated at 336,342 in 2000. Although many tribes are rural, California also has the largest urban American Indian population in the US. Health issues faced by American Indians can also vary from tribe to tribe. For example, while the prevalence of diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives is about twice that of the general population, the Pimas of Arizona actually have the highest known prevalence of diabetes in the world.

• California Rural Indian Health Board is a network of Tribal health programs, controlled and sanctioned by Indian people and Tribal governments, that is devoted to the needs and interests of Indians in rural California.
• I.H.S. Division of Program Statistics Web Site is a source of American Indian and Alaska Native demographic and patient care information. This site will allow people to view and download publications and reports and to link to data files.
• Indian Health Program, State of California
• Indian Health Service is the organization created by the United States government "to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level."
• Native American Health, a MEDLINEplus topic sheet, provides links to a variety of health information for and about people of Native American descent.
• Native Health Database includes articles, studies, and reports focused on the medical, anthropological, and administrative aspects of American Indian health. They are provided by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center in conjunction with the Indian Health Service.
• IHS Headquarters Publications maintained by the Indian Health Service, provides demographic statistics on American Indians and Alaska Natives on a state-by-state basis.

Asian American

According to the 2000 Census, the top five Asian groups in California were Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Asian Indian. The Census defines as "Asian" anyone "having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam."

• Asian American Health, a MEDLINEplus topic sheet, provides links to a variety of health information for and about people of Asian American descent.
• Asian and Pacific Islander Populations, part of the Census site, provides access to detailed demographic information on these groups.
• Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California includes a series of reports from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California (APALC).
• South Asian Health Issues, provided by Sawnet (South Asian Women's NETwork), is an extensive site devoted to women's health in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• Welcome to AAPCHO.org is the home page of the organization Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations. They maintain a listing of community-based health organizations serving the Asian/Pacific Islander communities across the United States.

Basque

Originally from Spain, the Basques are considered to be one of the oldest ethnic groups in Europe. As early as the mid-1800's, there were significant Basque communities in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

• Basque Studies Library has information on a variety of issues related to the Basque population.

Hispanic American

As of the 2000 Census, almost a third of the California population was of Hispanic descent, and this number goes up to over 98% in specific communities like Huron One factor significantly effecting the health of Hispanic Americans is that they are less likely than most other population groups to have a regular health provider, which is directly tied to their likelihood of receiving preventive health care.

• Health Links, a service of the National Community for Latino Leadership, provides access to a number of Hispanic health organizations across the United States.
• Hispanic American Health, a MEDLINEplus topic sheet, provides links to a variety of health information for and about people of Hispanic heritage.
• HispanicHealth.org is a publication of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and provides links to current information topics and resources in Hispanic health.
• Latino/Hispanic Health is offered as part of LasCulturas.com and provides a variety of links to health resources and organizations tailored to Hispanic Americans.

Migrant Farmworkers

Due in part to frequent moves, poor working conditions and low socioeconomic status, migrant farmworkers face much greater health risks than the population at large. Consisting of individuals from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds (an estimated 85% are from minority population groups), most are legal residents living well below the poverty level. Major health issues include infectious diseases, occupational health problems, hypertension and diabetes. Few have health insurance. Because they generally move frequently, even individuals who qualify for programs like Medicaid are often unable to receive benefits.

• Overview of America's Farmworkers is provided by the National Center for Farmworker Health, and gives a good basic overview of issues facing migrant farmworkers, as well as having links to additional fact sheets at the bottom of the page.
• Health Outreach Partners provides training for community-based organizations serving farmworkers and offers demographics, health overviews, and legal issues affecting this community.
• Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Enumeration Profiles Study: California, which was funded by the Migrant Health Program, Bureau of Primary Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, provides county-by-county estimates of the farmworker population as of 2000.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI)

According to the 2000 Census, the top five NHOPI populations in California were Samoan, Guamanian or Chamorro, Native Hawaiian, Tongan, and Fijian. The Census defines this category as anyone "having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands." This population includes such diverse groups as Carolinian, Chuukese (Trukese), Kosraean, Melanesian, Micronesian, Northern Mariana Islander, Palauan, Papua New Guinean, Pohnpeian, Polynesian, Solomon Islander, Tahitian, Tokelauan, and Yapese.

• Asian and Pacific Islander Populations, part of the Census site, provides access to detailed demographic information on these groups.
• Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California includes a series of reports from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California (APALC).
• Native Hawaiian Center for Excellence is part of the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, and provides information on Native Hawaiian health and resources.
• Native Hawaiian Data Book (June 2002) 1.32 MB, is provided by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and provides detailed statistical information on Native Hawaiians.

See the Hawaii and Pacific Basin pages for more information.

Rural Resources

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Rural Assistance Center (RAC): California

Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/Ps)

MUA/Ps are areas or populations designated by the Shortage Designation Branch, part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as not having sufficient access to medical care. If an area is designated MUA, then the entire population is covered, if the designation is MUP, only a specific population is. Occasionally, regions receive a designation of GOV, which means that the state governor requested that the area be included due to local barriers and/or health conditions. The MUA/P designation is often important when obtaining grants or other funding.

The most accurate and up-to-date source of this information is the HRSA database. To find out if a particular area is designated, first look up the county. Each service area is given a descriptive name, and comprises either the whole county (WH), a partial county (PC), a multi-county area (MC), or a multi-state (MS) area. It may be necessary to look up specific areas by census tract. These numbers can be identified by entering a street address into American FactFinder. Tip: print out the Data Dictionary for MUA/P List prior to looking up information.

The California Rural Health Policy Council also maintains maps of MUA/P and health professional shortage areas. These maps are updated every six months.

Additional Resources

• California Department of Education is the home page for the department, and provides information on the state educational system.
• California Healthy Kids provides information on children's health and health education in California.
• California State PTA contains the state PTA history, mission and structure, as well as office locations.
• Department of Health Services provides information on health issues in California.
• Los Angeles Times provides news for Los Angeles.
• CDPH News Releases provides current public health information for the state.
• Partnership for the Public's Health lists community groups and health departments participating in this initiative of the California Endowment and the Public Health Institute.
• Sacramento Bee proved news for the Sacramento area.
• San Diego Union-Tribune provides news on the San Diego area.
• San Francisco Chronicle provides news for San Francisco.
• State of California is the state's website.

Government Information Portals

• FedStats provides access to statistics prepared by over 100 federal agencies. Statistics are available on a state and community level.
• FirstGov provides a search engine and topical indexes for US state and federal information. To search for information on a particular state, use the form in the upper left corner.
• State and Local Government on the Net provides links to government information on a state and local level for the fifty states, as well as selected US-associated areas such as Guam.