Health – Alliance for a Better Community

ABC believes that everyone should have equitable access to the resources that support comprehensive health and wellness. We believe that health should not be determined by what zip code you live in and that the future success of Los Angeles depends on the level of collective health and wellness of its communities. However, too many Angelenos, a large portion of whom are Latina/o, don’t have health insurance, access to wellness programs and/or dental health services that are vital to their well-being and success. ABC works to promote policies and research that supports and expands access to these kinds of services in Latina/o communities throughout the region.

Current Work

Forced and Involuntary Sterilization

Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, LAC+USC CEO Jorge Orozco, ABC’s Executive Director Vanessa Aramayo, and ABC’s Board Member Rosie Arroyo came together to announce the launch of a special task force to identify and compensate survivors of forced and involuntary sterilization in Los Angeles County. With Assemblywoman Carrillo securing a $300,000 investment, ABC will conduct a feasibility study and lead the efforts to identify the mostly Spanish-speaking immigrant women who gave birth at LA County General Hospital between the 1960’s to early 1970’s and were sterilized without consent. Click here to learn more about this initiative.

Health4All and Bill AB 56

ABC is part of the Health4ALL coalition that has been advocating for the passage of SB29 which will extend eligibility for full scope Medi-Cal benefits for qualified low-income individuals and undocumented immigrants, and SB 56 “Health4All Seniors” which will extend eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals who are 65 years of age or older.

In May 2021, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced the inclusion of SB 56 in his May Revise of the state budget. As part of the Health4All coalition, ABC continues to participate in weekly calls, public comment, and track the progress of SB 56 as it moves forward with California legislation.

This year, ABC staff and 10 parent leaders participated in the annual Immigrant Day of Action, hosted by California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC). Parent leaders attended legislative visits and panel discussions that uplifted the importance of immigrant rights and investment in low-income and immigrant communities. Additionally, the 10 parent leaders participated in a #Health4All Call-In Days campaign by calling the Governor’s office to ensure that the Assembly and Senate subcommittees voted to include #Health4All for adults 50 and older.

25th Annual Immigrant Day of Action #Health4All

ABC will continue to be a partner of the coalition and aims to grow internal capacity on health issues and broaden advocacy efforts in health. Parents that participated in the Day of Action walked away wanting to learn more about how they can make an impact in their schools and communities, and clearly saw the alignment between health and education. We aim to harness the interest and energy from parent leaders to become more knowledgeable in health advocacy and participate in democratic processes.