At the 2023 Minnesota State of Reform Health Policy Conference, several leaders met to discuss solutions to racial and Tribal health disparities. Erica Lester, workforce development manager for the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers, said her association has 17 health centers across the state. “We have some amazing healthcare in Minnesota, but also some … Read more
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently released its State Health Assessment (SHA) and State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) as required by law, which combine to form the Healthy Illinois 2028 initiative. IDPH used the SHA to evaluate the program’s overall issues and successes after the completion of Healthy Illinois 2021. The SHA influenced … Read more
We hosted the 2023 Arizona State of Reform Health Policy Conference recently, bringing together thought leaders, legislators, and policy experts into multi-silo conversations about the future of healthcare in the state. Too often, those with good ideas for reforming healthcare don’t have a solid understanding of how the legislative process works. Those who understand politics … Read more
The fate of Senate Bill 435, which would require California departments to collect and release disaggregated data for Indigenous and Latinx nations, is now up to Governor Gavin Newsom. With over 60 statewide organizations in support, and after the unanimous passing of the bill through the Assembly and Senate, the bill is awaiting Newsom’s signature. … Read more
At the 2023 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference, we sat down with Bradley Schmidt, the chief executive officer of the Northern California PET Imaging Center, for a conversation about addressing health inequities in the state’s healthcare system. Schmidt said a potential way to increase health equity is by reforming the decades-old Knox-Keene … Read more
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Illinois, the state’s affiliate organization for the nationwide group, plans to focus its efforts on recruiting and training individuals with lived mental health challenges to help provide counseling and treatment for youth with severe mental health conditions. In an interview with State of Reform, Andrew Wade, … Read more
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DHSH) confirmed this week it has initiated review of maternal mortality cases from 2020 and into early 2021, spanning the beginning and peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (TMMMRC) is scheduled to conduct its next meeting on September 8th … Read more
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched the first phase of transitioning health services for incarcerated individuals from the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) to DHHS by announcing a new sub-agency this month, the Division of Correctional Health Services (DCHS). DHHS reports the transition is expected to conclude by July … Read more
Health network leaders discussed how they’re working to improve social determinants of health (SDOH) and health equity at the 2023 Maryland State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Angelo Edge, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Maryland, mentioned some incentives the organization is working on to address SDOH, including opening health education centers that focus on … Read more
A panel of policy experts advocated for improving the state’s delivery of healthcare to the justice-involved population at the 2023 Illinois State of Reform Health Policy Conference earlier this month. As part of the Biden administration’s effort to improve care for the justice-involved population, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released … Read more