LATINOS: New Brochure to Focus on Healthy Families and Medi-Cal
Copies of a new Spanish-language guide to Medi-Cal and Healthy Families are being distributed accross the state beginning today. A million copies of the guide Hacia Una Vida Saludable ("Towards a Healthy Life") are being made available under the "Partnership for Health," a collaboration between La Opinion, a Los Angeles Spanish-language newspaper, the California HealthCare Foundation and the Medi-Cal Policy Institute. The guide places special emphasis on clarifying the issue of "public charge" for those who may have been concerned that participation in public health programs would affect their ability to apply for citizenship. "At a time when immigrants may shy away from using health services because of fear, this kind of outreach just makes sense," said Mark Smith, president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation. Distribution of the guide will be the first large-scale outreach to the Hispanic community since the public charge issue was clarified.
Easy As 1-2-3
The guide also contains the new shortened Healthy Families/Medi- Cal joint application and list of resources for assistance in applying to the programs. It will be distrusted as a supplement to La Opinion, the nation's largest Spanish-language daily newspaper, as well as to a network of its newspaper partners throughout the state. The brochure will also be distributed through community clinics, hospitals, churches, schools and health fairs throughout the state. In addition, a toll-free number (888-430-2423) has also been established for requests for the publication from individuals, community organizations, schools and health care providers. "The State commends the California HealthCare Foundation, the Medi-Cal Policy Institute and La Opinion for providing this useful source of information at a local level and seeking to make health care options more widely known to the Latino community throughout California," said Diana Bonta, the recently appointed director of the state Department of Health Services (release, 7/14).