Indigenous communities in California and throughout the United States face striking health disparities. At 71.8 years, American Indian and Alaska Native individuals have the lowest life expectancy compared with other races and ethnicities. They are 2.3 times more likely to die from diabetes than white people and they have the highest rate of suicide compared with all other racial and ethnic groups (28.1 per 100,000).

By the California Improvement Network Team

Photo of Stella Safo, Karyn Young-Lowe, and Sunita Mutha at the CIN partner meeting in March 2023 (photo credit: Sonya Yruel).

By Kathryn E. Phillips, Associate Director, California Health Care Foundation

Photo: Brett Perkinson receives his weekly supply of medically tailored meals delivered from a community-based organization to his home in Aptos, just outside of the city of Santa Cruz. Credit: Shmuel Thaler

“Show up fully. Move at a slow enough pace that you can be creative together. Leave room to be delighted. Be overly communicative.”

This advice about how to build and nurture partnerships in the face of complex health care challenges was offered by Dr. Sunita Mutha, director of Healthforce Center at UCSF. 

By Sunita Mutha, MD, FACP, Director of Healthforce Center

As we look forward from this recent presidential election, there is a lot to celebrate given the huge success of “get out the vote” efforts. However we might feel about the results of the state and presidential elections, there are important reflections about where we are at this moment in time and how we prepare for what’s ahead of us still. 

On September 18, Dr. Mitch Katz, President and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals, shared with California Improvement Network (CIN) partners at the fall CIN partner meeting about his experience leading the largest public health care system in the United States as it became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in every possible way in a short amount of time. While the spread of COVID-19 and the economic effects of shelter in place have impacted everyone to varying degrees across California, the gaping social disparities underscored by the pandemic make clear that addressing social needs that impact health is more important than ever. What changes are health care providers seeing and how is the role of health care evolving in this context?

The California Improvement Network (CIN) is a learning and action network that aims to advance the Quadruple Aim by identifying and spreading better ideas for care delivery. The network is fueled by the energy and innovations of its partner and member organizations. CIN is a project of the California Health Care Foundation and managed by Healthforce Center at UCSF.