BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 673
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Date of Hearing: April 12, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
William W. Monning, Chair
AB 673 (John A. Pérez and Lara) - As Introduced: February 17,
2011
SUBJECT : Office of Multicultural Health: LGBT communities.
SUMMARY : Requires the Office of Multicultural Health (OMH), to
perform various duties on behalf of the Department of Public
Health (DPH) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
with respect to the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) communities. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires OMH to do all of the following on behalf of DPH and
DHCS:
a) Perform strategic planning within these departments to
develop department-wide plans for implementation of goals
and objectives to close the gaps in health status and
access to care among the state's LGBT communities;
b) Coordinate pilot projects and planning projects funded
by the state that are related to improving the
effectiveness of services to the LGBT communities;
c) Communicate and disseminate information and perform a
liaison function within the departments and to providers of
health, social, educational, and support services to the
LGBT communities. Requires OMH to consult regularly with
representatives from the LGBT communities, including health
providers, advocates, and consumers;
d) Serve as a resource for ensuring that programs keep data
and information regarding statistics and information based
on sexual orientation and gender identity; and,
e) Prepare and submit a biennial report to the Legislature
on the status of the above activities.
EXISTING LAW establishes OMH within DPH to perform various
duties on behalf of DPH and DHCS relating to the state's racial
and ethnic communities.
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FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has not yet been heard by a fiscal
committee.
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL . According to the author, this bill
integrates health issues affecting the LGBT communities as
part of the mission of OMH. The author maintains that
expanding the mission of OMH to include issues related to
sexual orientation and gender identity will help the state
develop and implement more inclusive public health policies
that benefit all California's diverse populations. The author
also maintains that this bill additionally provides OMH with
the authority to seek funding for health initiatives that
target LGBT communities.
2)OMH . OMH was created in August 1993 by Executive Order
W-58-93 and in 1999 was established in statute in AB 1107
(Cedillo), Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999. OMH is a shared
policy office within the Director's Office of DPH and DHCS and
serves as an advisor to both departments and a liaison between
DPH, DHCS, and outside stakeholders. OMH also has a 25-member
Multicultural Health Advisory Council that advises DPH and
DHCS on multicultural health issues. The mission of OMH is to
increase the capacity of DPH and DHCS programs, health care
providers, and ethnic/racial communities to reduce gaps and
improve the provision of and access to health care among
California's diverse population groups.
3)HEALTH DISPARITIES AND LGBT COMMUNITIES . LGBT individuals
encompass all races and ethnicities, religions, and social
classes. Sexual orientation and gender identity questions are
not asked on most national or state surveys, making it
difficult to estimate the number of LGBT individuals and their
health needs. A recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM)
report entitled, The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better
Understanding, concluded that in order to advance
understanding of the health needs of all LGBT individuals,
researchers need more data about the demographics of these
populations, improved methods for collecting and analyzing
data, and an increased participation of sexual and gender
minorities in research. The IOM report further states that
building a more solid evidence base for LGBT health concerns
will not only benefit LGBT individuals, but also add to the
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repository of health information that pertains to all people.
According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), the LGBT
population continues to experience worse health outcomes than
their heterosexual counterparts. Due to factors like low
rates of health insurance coverage, high rates of stress due
to systematic harassment and discrimination, and a lack of
cultural competency in the health care system. CAP further
states that members of the LGBT population are at a higher
risk for cancer, mental illness, and other diseases, and are
more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, and engage in
other risky behaviors. CAP asserts that people who are both
LGBT and members of a racial or ethnic minority will often
face the highest level of health disparities. For example, as
the National Coalition for LGBT Health notes, a black gay man
faces disparities common to the African American community as
well as those suffered by the LGBT community, and a
transgender Spanish-speaking woman, regardless of her sexual
orientation, must navigate multiple instances of
discrimination based on language, ethnicity, and gender.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that
the perspectives and needs of LGBT people should be routinely
considered in public health efforts to improve overall health
of every person and eliminate health disparities.
4)SUPPORT . Equality California, the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees, and the California
Immigrant Policy Center all write in support that integrating
health issues affecting the LGBT communities as part of the
mission of OMH will allow OMH to close the gap in health
status and access to care and address the health disparities
impacting LGBT communities.
5)PRIOR LEGISLATION . AB 1107 (Cedillo), Ch. 146, Statutes of
1999, establishes OMH in DPH.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO
California Immigrant Policy Center
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Equality California
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Tanya Robinson-Taylor / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097