WSSN Stories

By Olu Alemoru, California Black Media 

As the calendar speeds toward the March 31 deadline for securing benefits through the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, African-American enrollment in California’s healthcare exchange is falling far short of expectations.

Data recently released by Covered California suggests that only about 50 percent of eligible African-Americans have signed up. Uninsured consumers now have less than a month to enroll before they are subject to penalties – $95 per adult or 1 percent of your annual income, whichever is greater – and faced with an even more daunting challenge: a longer period of time among the ranks of those without healthcare coverage.

It is perhaps all the more worrying considering that the Medi-Cal program, which has been covering Californians who couldn’t afford health insurance since 1966, has been greatly expanded under Obamacare, making up to two million more people are eligible.  This is a huge missed opportunity for the black community.

As of January 1, single adults ages 19-64, are eligible for Medi-Cal based on a simplified eligibility formula: your annual income must be 138 percent or less of the federal poverty level. In 2013, that meant eligibility for individuals earning up to $15,856.

According to information provided by Covered California and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), the Affordable Care Act ensures that all Medi-Cal plans offer a comprehensive package of essential health benefits. These include ambulatory patient and emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance abuse, prescription drugs and laboratory services.

As of 2014, the array of mental health and substance abuse services have expanded to include individual and group mental health evaluation and treatment, outpatient drug monitoring therapy, psychiatric consultation and intensive residential and outpatient treatment services.
Dental care, vision and speech therapy services are generally only available to children and youth under 21, but dental services will be available to all adults starting this May.

There are three ways to enroll for Covered California and Medi-Cal health insurance plans: online at www.CoveredCA.com , over the phone  calling 800- 300-1506 and in-person with assistance from a Certified Enrollment Counselor.

To provide a real-world example of how easy it can be to enroll into Medi-Cal, this reporter — who, like many in the media business, recently lost health benefits after being forced to transition from staff to freelance work — underwent the eligibility and enrollment process with help from St. John’s Well Child & Family Center in historically black South Los Angeles.

The process requires a birth or citizenship certificate, Social Security card (if you have one), proof of income and proof of county residency. If everything checks out, eligibility is immediately confirmed. Finalizing the paperwork may take up to 45 days, and enrollees can change to a Covered California plan if income and employment status changes within that time. To start the Medi-Cal enrollment process, those who believe they may be eligible can go to the DHCS website to start the application process.

Meanwhile, those working to get more African-Americans enrolled are holding out hope that black consumers will heed the calls for action targeted at their communities and enroll in a plan.

“The enrollment numbers for African-Americans are not sufficient. It’s basically half of what it should be,” said Daniel Zingale, Senior Vice President of The California Endowment. “I think the outreach is getting better, but I think the real problem is the intake process. It’s hard to get through on the phone lines, the website and hardest of all to get an in-person enroller.

It’s a tough job because Covered California had to create all new systems, hire staff to the answer the phones and license the enrollers. It’s a big undertaking, but I think they’re making progress.”

Gwendolyn Rodgers, President/CEO – YWE Foundation

“Imagine what can happen in the life of a young woman when she is empowered to succeed.”

Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation and  Assemblymember Cheryl Brown invite you to the FREE “Girl Talk II Spring Conference” on Saturday, March, 15 from 9 a.m.  to 2 p.m. at San Bernardino Valley College,  701 South Mt. Vernon Avenue in San Bernardino. 

Young ladies, let’s talk about life! Have you ever needed someone to sit down and talk to you about things that are troubling you? Are you confused about why you are feeling so hurt and letdown? Did you think you found your “Prince Charming,” but he turned out to be less than perfect? Before you can give of yourself to someone, you must first get to know the real you.  You may ask, “How do I get to know the real me?”  “Girl Talk” will open the door to many of the answers you are looking for.

The purpose of “Girl Talk” is to communicate and address everyday issues with teen girls and encourage each to BE Smart! BE Safe! BE Responsible! Growing up with the influence of peer pressure, staying positive is not always easy. However, part of Young Women’s Empowerment mission is to show girls, that while at times it may be hard, it’s not impossible. The half-day Saturday event is aimed at empowering young women by providing pathways to build positive self-esteem, and enhance independent thinking through dynamic, energetic and fun workshops, education, and just plain ole “Girl Talk.”

The “Girl Talk” Conference is rooted in love and sisterhood. A love for our younger sisters and a desire to share with them the legacy of sisterhood that comes from establishing and maintaining lasting relationships with women young and old. The initial vision of “Girl Talk” derived from seeing the decline of the young ladies of our community first hand and the desire to begin an educational process that could help them positively transforms their beings.

Young ladies, ages 12-21, you are invite to experience a POSITIVE, STIMULATING, EDUCATIONAL, and SOCIAL experience. Join us!

Judy Belk

Committed to Increasing Philanthropic Resources for People of Color, TCWF Makes History By Naming Three Distinguished African Americans Into Leadership Roles

Woodland Hills, CA – Judy Belk will lead The California Wellness Foundation as its next president and CEO, effective April 7, 2014, announced Barbara C. Staggers, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Belk is currently senior vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a position she has held since 2002.

“Judy has stellar operational and strategic leadership expertise in philanthropy and a strong sense of valuing the voices of grantees,” Staggers said. “This coupled with her track record in myriad philanthropic efforts that support underserved communities makes her a strong match for The California Wellness Foundation.”

A seasoned leader with more than 25 years of senior management experience in the philanthropic, government, nonprofit and corporate sectors, Belk played a pivotal role in building Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) into one of the nation’s largest independent nonprofit advisory firms, which currently advises on more than $300 million annually in more than 30 countries.

She launched the firm’s West Coast and Midwest operations and helped position RPA as a global “thought leader” in promoting effective strategic philanthropy, impact investing, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Previously, Belk served as vice president of global public affairs at Levi Strauss & Co., reporting directly to the chairman and CEO, with responsibilities for both the company’s and foundation’s leadership in the global fight against AIDS, as well as their economic development, environmental and antiracism initiatives.

“I am proud to join the Foundation and support its mission to promote a healthier California,” Belk said. “Since its founding, TCWF has played a historic role in courageously funding in public health areas that had drawn little or no philanthropic attention.”

Belk said that, in the process, the Foundation has expanded the definition of health and wellness for all Californians, particularly underserved, diverse communities.

“I’m looking forward to working with TCWF’s impressive Board, its talented staff and committed community partners across the state in leveraging the Foundation’s resources and voice in bringing about meaningful health changes,” she said.

Eugene Washington, M.D., vice chair of TCWF’s Board, believes Belk’s vast philanthropic expertise will add valuable insight to the Foundation’s current and future grantmaking programs, especially as they relate to health coverage.

“With the expansion of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, it is an important time in California and the nation,” Washington said. “I look forward to working with Judy on this vital issue and others that are affecting the health of the people of California.”

The Foundation is recognized nationally for its strategic core operating support that builds and sustains the capacity of health and human-service nonprofit organizations, and for its public policy grantmaking. TCWF has also earned national recognition for funding public education and policy outreach, including groundbreaking, multilingual campaigns in violence prevention, teenage pregnancy prevention and promoting diversity in the health professions.

Belk will bring to the Foundation a strong track record of leadership spanning the nonprofit, government and corporate sectors. At Levi Strauss & Co., she led a global team in pioneering work on AIDS education and prevention, and women’s economic development, and launched Project Change, a national antiracism initiative, which was recognized by President Bill Clinton with the first Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership in 1998. She also developed and led the company’s philanthropic efforts in postapartheid South Africa.

Throughout her career, Belk has been a strong advocate in promoting diversity, inclusion and equity both within and outside of the philanthropic sector. She has been a passionate voice in raising awareness of the needs of women and girls, as well as communities of color. She has been actively involved in the D5 Initiative, a national coalition of philanthropic leaders committed to increasing philanthropic resources for women, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, and people of color.

“The Foundation is at a key crossroads in its history,” said Cole Wilbur, TCWF’s interim president and CEO. “As we sunset the Responsive Grantmaking Program, the Foundation welcomes Judy, an enterprising leader with deep knowledge in philanthropy, to lead the next era of our grantmaking.”

Belk joins a distinguished roster of executives who have led the Foundation since it was founded more than two decades ago.

Belk is a frequent writer and speaker on organizational ethics, race and social change, and her work has been recognized with several state and national awards. Her pieces have aired on National Public Radio and appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

She currently serves on the boards of the Surdna Foundation, a national New York-based family foundation, and the Marlborough School, a Los Angeles-based, independent school for girls. Past board service includes Southern California Grantmakers, Northern California Grantmakers, National Center on Family Philanthropy, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and the Independent Sector.

Belk received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and her master’s degree in public administration from California State University, East Bay, where she was recognized as the 1999 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

Belk has lived and worked in California for her entire professional career. A current resident of Los Angeles, she is a native of Alexandria, Virginia, where she was recently inducted into the Alexandria African American Hall of Fame. She is married to Roger Peeks, M.D., who currently serves as medical director of Valley Community Clinic in North Hollywood. They have two young adult children.

Assisting the Foundation’s Board of Directors in the search for the next president and CEO was Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm with offices in San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C.

The California Wellness Foundation is a private independent foundation created in 1992 with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention.

One of the largest health grantmaking organizations in California, TCWF was established in 1992 as part of the conversion of Health Net from not-for-profit to for-profit status. It is completely separate from Health Net and operates as a private independent foundation. The Foundation headquarters are located in Woodland Hills with a small branch office in San Francisco. Since its founding, TCWF has awarded 7,338 grants totaling more than $890 million.

FONTANA, CA- On Saturday, February 22, the North Fontana Black Awareness Parade Committee held its 45^th Annual Black History Parade. The parade started at Summit and Citrus Avenue, and ended with an expo. Various vendors, elected officials, Chamber of commerce’s, and other community members and residents came out in support of the event. To view more photos of the event, please visit www.wssnews.com.

Hakim Hazim

“An institution is not a place; it’s a state of mind.”- Tom Pomeranz

It’s impossible to listen to commentary about the state of affairs concerning Black America and not form an opinion. This will not be your typical article on Black History. I’m going to take a different approach, one that attempts to point out an empirical thing that we can remedy as a people still striving to fulfill the promise of the God we serve in Christ and the dreams our ancestors had for us. By using Pomeranz’s definition above, I’ll attempt to provide some clarity by defining institution as a state of mind, and I’ll call for an exodus away from the mindset. In this day and age of increasing government deficits and ineptness we cannot continue to look to institutions, no matter how evolved, for answers.

The primary function of any type of institution is to govern in some form.  People conditioned by institutions of any type look to the authorities and seek guidance, counsel, permission and ultimately favor from the leaders. We were brought here as powerless people, and we were liberated by the bold actions of abolitionists, a president of conviction and the blood of countless soldiers. During the Civil Rights Movement, we compelled the government to give us equal treatment. In short we were reformers of the status quo, not dependent on it. In our battle to secure rights and privileges from the institution of government, we, especially as Christians, must ask ourselves if we have become dependent on it.  The institution has helped us, but it is not our liberator.

I was once privileged enough to sit in on a training by national disabilities clinician, Tom Pomeranz. He spoke of institutions in a profound way—as a way of thinking and acting by the people who depend on it and those who provide services and instruction to those they are entrusted with. These three characteristics were evident:

• Belief in segregation (Certain people should be kept away from others)
• Belief in limiting choice (Certain people can’t handle decision making)
• Belief in limiting privacy (A mindset that encourages and tolerates intrusion)

I cringed when I heard these words. I knew it to be true. In some ways we were all institutionalized in regards to our thinking regardless of race. But slavery had a profound impact on Blacks traumatizing generations to come. It scarred the soul of the oppressor and oppressed. Martin Luther King, Jr., attacked the institutions of the day that promoted the belief in segregation, limiting our choices and violating the most basic private rights of our people. Law enforcement routinely violated Black families, homes and even taped confidential conversations. The government upheld and codified these approaches into law and enforced them with vicious brutality.

I am thankful this is no longer the status quo approach of the government, but I lament the current state of affairs so many Black folks are disproportionately ensnared in poverty, fatherlessness, addiction and skyrocketing incarceration rates.

The pain caused by these things prompt us to look for a source of relief. In the past, government came to our aid; currently, many of our leaders teach us that it’s impossible for minorities to have success without its intervention. I beg to differ. I changed my mind a long time ago.  We need to raise a generation of ministers, entrepreneurs, educators, politicians, and people who excel in the natural social sciences. We have to raise expectations. If we expect the exceptional from the marginalized, they will give it to us.

ABOUT HAKIM HAZIM:

Hakim Hazim is the founder of Relevant Now and co-founder of Freedom Squared. He is a nationally recognized expert in decision analysis, criminality and security.

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA- Let’s celebrate the significance and history of cowboys of color and the American West! The one and only “American Charity Rodeo” will take place on February 22 at 16200 Temple Avenue in the City of Industry. This event will be filled with exciting preshow events, multi-cultural rodeo, education, food, and fun for all ages. Doors open at 1 p.m. and the show starts at 1:30 p.m. Children’s tickets are $17 in advance and $19 at the gate; adults are $20 in advance and $24 at the gate; and celebrity arena seats are $30 in advance and $32 at the gate. The proceeds from this event go to benefit local charities. For sponsorship, vendor, and group sales information call 310-674-6700. This is a onetime event so don’t miss out! (Written by Noelle Lilley)

(Photo Credit: Naomi K. Bonman)
PHOTO CAPTION: The cast and crew of “Blackbird”, which stars Isaiah Washington and Monique. The film was directed by Patrick Ian Polk in an adaption of the novel by Larry Duplechan.

LOS ANGELES, CA- On Sunday, February 16 at Rave Cinemas in Los Angeles, the Pan African Film Festival closed out it’s festivities with the premiere of the film “Blackbird”.   The closing kicked off with a red carpet where the cast and crew posed for photos for the media, as well as other celebrities who walked the red carpet in support of the film. Following the red carpet was the movie screening and question and answer session, followed by a private media briefing and after party.

“Blackbird” is a story that centers on a church choir singer, portrayed by Julian Walker, in a small Mississippi town who feels like a misfit as he struggles with his sexual awakening and the realization that he is gay. This is a coming of age story for that young African American boy or girl who struggles with their sexual orientation. The film is directed by Patrick Ian Polk in an adaption of the novel by Larry Duplechan. Monique and her husband Sidney Hicks are also executive producers of the film. (Written by Naomi K. Bonman)

Assemblymember Cheryl Brown held a reception on Sunday, February 16 at the Hampton Inn in Colton where she announced her candidacy for re-election to the California Assembly.   Many family, friends and other supporters were in attendance.

(Photo credits: John Coleman)

Edith Lara-Trad, information officer at Covered California, welcomes representatives from Inland community groups to the first Covered California regional meeting at Loma Linda University Health.

LOMA LINDA, CA  – Representatives of community groups working to enroll more San Bernardino County residents for affordable health insurance through Covered California kicked off their first regional meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 12) at Loma Linda University Health (LLUH).

About 40 people, representing dozens of community groups, stakeholders, health organizations, elected officials, and local health officials, took part in the gathering, hosted by LLUH.

“One of the objectives of the regional meeting is to focus on increasing partnerships and collaboration within the region, and to share lessons learned from the first weeks of enrollment,” said Edith Lara-Trad, information officer at Covered California, and the regional coordinator for the effort.

“It is about the people who are in dire need of health coverage. We have 47 days to continue mobilizing our efforts and enroll them now. One focus is to use in-person assistance to maximize enrollment,” she said.

LLUH, in partnership with Community Clinic Association of San Bernardino County, is one of 48 lead organizations that received grant awards totaling $37 million from Covered California to help residents access affordable health coverage.  Covered California is the state’s new health care insurance marketplace responsible for reaching out to 5.3 million Californians in need of individual insurance, many of whom may be eligible for financial assistance with the premiums.

“LLUH wants to ensure the residents of the Inland Empire are informed regarding the historic changes in our health care system and we are getting our residents the coverage they need to improve and maintain their health,” said Gerald Winslow, Ph.D., vice president for mission and culture at LLUH, and director of the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership, the organizational entity responsible for administering the grant.

The regional meeting provided opportunities for grantees, certified counselors, providers, community and health agencies, and elected officials to mingle and work in partnerships in existing enrollment events. Covered California partners and the health community have played an integral role to accomplish enrollment to many people thus far and Covered California is providing specific support to the community and partners to drive the regional effort.

Lara-Trad said the challenge is to encourage more people to enroll by March 31, which is the deadline for open enrollment and for obtaining premium assistance and guaranteed health coverage. She said, “We are focusing on key gaps. Latinos, African Americans, and other under-represented communities and young adults are especially targeted for enrollment.” More information is available at www.CoveredCA.com

Rosie Salazar, Covered California certified counselor at Inland Behavioral Health Services, attended the event because she wanted to expand her network and get ideas for getting more people to sign up for health insurance.

“We are in a community where we deal with many homeless and low-income people,” she said. “We do not want them to be left out of affordable health care.”

ISELIN, NJ- History was made at the legendary Newark Symphony Hall breaking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for Largest Gospel Choir. The McDonald’s Gospel Super Choir was made up of 1,171 singers of all ages, from across the New York Tri-State area and as far away as Philadelphia and Florida. This record breaking event was produced and directed by Emmy Award winning A. Curtis Farrow. The previous record of 1,169 singers was held by the London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC) joined by hundreds of singers from gospel choirs across Europe. As a launch to Black History Month, this record breaking choir was sponsored by the McDonald’s New York Tri-State Owner Operators Association and McDonald’s Corporation. For more information and photos, visit http://www.lovepeacejoy.info.