New Health Policy Institute wins $4 million grant

A five-year, $4 million grant from The California Endowment for the new Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State was announced in June by Robert K. Ross, M.D., president and CEO of The Endowment, and President Welty.

The institute, an ancillary unit of the university, will be the Valley’s primary source of health policy information, which will enable local health and community leaders to advocate for long-term, sustainable changes in the health status of Valley residents.

The Endowment funding will finance the development of the institute’s infrastructure and regional capacity for addressing the health policy issues impacting residents in the six-county area of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare.

The institute will collect, analyze and disseminate research findings; develop and train community leaders about health policy decisions; and create permanent, graduate-level coursework on health policy at Fresno State.

By the end of the grant term, it is expected that the Valley will have better informed communities, community-based organizations and decision-makers, a cadre of trained health policy leaders, stronger and broader advocacy networks, and the availability of data and research needed by the Valley’s communities to influence policy and effectively advocate for systems change.

“Despite well-documented health disparities in the central San Joaquin Valley, there is no health policy vehicle within the region dedicated to studying the health care system or the impact of current and proposed public policies on the region,” said Ross. “The institute will serve to fill the void of information needed to impact systems change.”

The Central Valley Health Policy Institute was established in April 2002 under the leadership of then-Provost J. Michael Ortiz and Dr. Benjamin Cuellar, dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

The institute receives interdisciplinary faculty and operational support coordinated through the Central California Center for Health and Human Services, directed by Dr. Kathleen Curtis of the Fresno State faculty. Curtis will also serve as interim director of the institute until a permanent executive director is hired in the fall, said Cuellar.

The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. For more information, log on to www.calendow.org.