SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Options For Youth (OFY) hosted a Grand Opening for its third campus in San Bernardino on November 5, 2019. The event brought together community partners and the local residents to celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce, tour the new facility, and learn more about the non-profit OFY-SB public charter school program.
For its contribution to the San Bernardino community, State Senator Mike Morrell’s office presented Options For Youth – San Bernardino (OFY-SB) a Certificate of Recognition at the event. OFY-SB’s Principal Ileana Arroyo said the school’s goal was to “provide alternative paths of academic excellence and overall success for those students whose unique needs have not met solutions in a traditional high school environment.”
OFY-SB has been working with the San Bernardino City Unified School District for the past ten years, educating students in grades 7-12 who are facing social, emotional, and academic challenges in traditional public schools. OFY-SB has helped underserved students by providing a flexible and customizable lesson plan, tutoring and sports, and by encouraging students to re-engage with their community through volunteer work with Ronald McDonald House, Walk for Kids, Helping Hands Pantry, Community Gardening, Angels Closets in Redlands, and Red Cross Blood Drives.
The OFY-SB campus is located in the El Dorado Plaza by the Walgreens Pharmacy. The campus space features a large open communal room with several SGI (small group instruction) classrooms on the outer perimeter.
SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Ms. Madeline Farlow, one of the community leaders and employee of the Employment Development Department spent time with Social Lites, Inc. of San Bernardino Beautillion Knights on a beautiful fall afternoon on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at the Center for Youth and Community Development. Ms. Farlow addressed goal setting, importance of professional appearance and role-playing with the participants in soliciting for ads for scholarships.
The 53rd Beautillion Scholarship 2019-2020 program under the leadership of Mrs. Tina Darling, Beautillion Chairperson is now in progress. Its’ not too late for young men seeking scholarship opportunities to participate in this scholarship and personal development program.
L/R: Kuzari Osonduagwuike, Thomas Ward, Amari Osonduagwuike, Dylan Mack, Andrew Mitchell, Kameron Brantley, Auston Malone, Dyvon Brown, Emmanuelle Ward, and Chance Ward
Community leaders who have spent time with participants include Dr. Samuel Gibbs, Mr. Richard Blacksher, Dr. Rose Culpepper and Bessine Little, City Council Woman, 6th Ward.
Weekly meetings are on Saturdays from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Center for Youth & Community Development (formerly Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino) located at 1180 W. 9th Street, San Bernardino, CA 92411. The program will commence on March 28, 2020 at the National Orange Show of San Bernardino.
In 2010, during the last decennial population count, nearly one in four Inland Empire households didn’t mail back their census questionnaire. What’s more, another 40,000 people throughout the region didn’t receive a questionnaire by mail at all.
Why does this matter? Because undercounted regions miss out on vital federal and state funding, hindering potential growth in those regions for years to come. In a place like the Inland Empire, which has seen significant growth over the past decade, missing out on funding could be especially damaging.
This fall, staffers and students at the University of California, Riverside, are mobilizing in a variety of ways to ensure a more accurate regional population count in 2020.
Leading the charge is the Center for Social Innovation, which two weeks ago spearheaded the formation of UCR Counts, the university’s official Complete Count Committee. An initiative of the U.S. Census Bureau, the Complete Count Committees program is key to creating census awareness in communities nationwide through targeted outreach efforts.
UCR Counts brings together representatives from the center, which is housed within the School of Public Policy; Student Life; Governmental & Community Relations; the Associated Students of UC Riverside, or ASUCR; and Undocumented Student Programs.
Complementing the committee’s efforts, on Oct. 16, ASUCR passed its first Senate Resolution of the fall 2019 quarter, encouraging student leaders, student organizations, and administrators to participate in census efforts.
The resolution was co-authored by Eric Calderon and Luis Huerta, two members of ASUCR’s Executive Cabinet who also serve as student representatives on UCR Counts. It emphasizes UCR’s responsibility to host informational sessions about the census and promote census education and resources on campus.
Perhaps more importantly, however, it underscores the university’s role in driving outreach to so-called “hard-to-count” communities, including undocumented immigrants, non-English speakers and/or households, and racial and ethnic minorities, among other groups.
“One key statement in the resolution that will drive our work is, ‘Students are often important advocates, translators, guides, and trusted messengers for their family, friends, and community,’” said Marlenee Blas, associate director of the Center for Social Innovation, who is leading the on-campus census efforts. “We’re really relying on our students as trusted messengers for their communities.”
During a visit with members of UCR Counts on Oct. 24, Ditas Katague, director of California Complete Count, the office coordinating census efforts statewide, discussed the importance of UCR’s work and shared outreach strategies.
“Our hard-to-count populations in California are full of fear,” she said. The current political climate, Katague noted, has increased wariness among many people in hard-to-count communities, which also include low-income groups, people experiencing homelessness, and those living in rural or geographically isolated areas.
“People keep asking, ‘What’s different this year?’” she added. “But what they should be asking is, ‘How can we make the difference?’ Because everyone knows the political environment this year is different. But for me, what’s going to make the difference is the youth — period.”
Katague said the Census Bureau’s pivot to a digital format in lieu of traditional paper questionnaires puts young people on the forefront of outreach and education efforts.
For the first time, the bureau is asking most people to answer the census online. Katague believes this opens up a realm of opportunities to promote the census through social media, for example, as well as for young people to help their older relatives and friends with completing it.
Katague was joined in the visit to UCR by Mignonne Pollard, education outreach manager for California Complete Count, and Quintilia Ávila, regional program manager for California Complete Count’s efforts throughout Southern California.
Pollard said California Complete Count will work over the next year to partner with the University of California, individual UC campuses, and UC’s various Basic Needs programs to ensure harder-to-count populations are reached in 2020.
The statewide team will also use the recently passed ASUCR resolution as an example when visiting other universities to promote census efforts, they said.
On campus, UCR Counts has plans to collaborate with several departments and groups, such as Residential Life, the ethnic and gender programs based in Costo Hall, and the Academic Senate.
A major aspect of the Oct. 24 meeting involved figuring out how UCR Counts might better connect with undocumented students, in particular, and those with ties to other hard-to-count populations both in the region and statewide.
The campus committee builds on the Center for Social Innovation’s ongoing work in coordinating census outreach efforts across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of public policy and political science who serves as director of both the center and the Inland Empire Complete Count Committee.
“Efforts like UCR Counts will give students a once-in-a-decade opportunity to deepen their applied research skills and serve their communities, either through paid census job opportunities or through service-learning opportunities that draw on their talents and passions,” Ramakrishnan said.
Likewise, Blas emphasized that UCR students — many of whom are Pell Grant recipients and first-generation college students — have the potential to make big impacts in their communities.
Students can assist with the committee’s efforts by talking to their families and friends about why it’s important to participate in the census. The census will take place on April 1, in the middle of the first week of the spring 2020 quarter, making spring break a prime time for initiating conversations with loved ones about how to participate.
“Concentrate your efforts on the hardest of the hard to count,” Katague said. “And please document everything you’re doing,” she added, so that in another 10 years, the campus might be able to follow the blueprint established by UCR Counts.
By Ana B. Ibarra | Special to California Black Media Partners
As states and communities rush to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products linked to vaping, Carol McGruder races from town to town, urging officials to include what she calls “the mother lode of all flavors”: menthol.
McGruder, co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, has tried for years to warn lawmakers that menthol attracts new smokers, especially African Americans. Now that more officials are willing to listen, she wants them to prohibit menthol cigarettes and cigarillos, not just e-cigarette flavors, to reduce smoking among Blacks.
Valerie Yeager, courtesy of Valerie Yeager
McGruder and other tobacco control researchers are using the youth vaping epidemic — and the vaping-related illnesses sweeping the country — as an opportunity to take on menthol cigarettes, even though they are not related to the illnesses.
“We started to see that vaping is something that we could leverage in order to deal with this whole menthol issue,” said Valerie Yerger, an associate professor of health policy at the University of California-San Francisco.
Menthol is a substance found in mint plants that creates a cooling sensation and masks tobacco flavor in both e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Those properties make menthol more appealing to first-time smokers and vapers, even as they pose the same health threats as non-menthol products and may be harder to quit.
Nearly nine out of 10 African American smokers prefer mentholated cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But even as tobacco control activists see opportunity, some African Americans, including smokers, fear discrimination. They predict that banning menthol will lead to a surge in illicit sales of cigarettes and result in additional policing in communities that already face tension with law enforcement.
Joseph Paul, director of political and civic affairs at City of Refuge Los Angeles, a church with about 17,000 members in Gardena, Calif., spoke at a board of supervisors meeting in September against a proposed flavor ban in Los Angeles County that was adopted a week later.
If officials truly wanted to end youth vaping, he later told California Healthline, the ordinance should have targeted only vape flavors and exempted adult smokers and their menthol cigarettes.
“Menthol cigarettes are very popular in the Black community, my people smoke menthol cigarettes,” he said.
The Los Angeles County ban prohibits sales but not possession of flavored e-cigarette products, menthol cigarettes and chewing tobacco in the unincorporated area of the county, inhabited by about 1 million people. Shops have until April to clear their shelves of flavored tobacco products.
Paul warned that people will start selling menthol cigarettes illegally: “It’s supply and demand.” That will make the community more vulnerable to police harassment, he said.
In New York City, when officials proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes earlier this year, which has yet to be acted upon, the Rev. Al Sharpton made a similar argument against the measure: Banning menthol would lead to greater tensions with police in Black communities.
“I think there is an Eric Garner concern here,” the civil right rights activist told The New York Times in July, referring to the well-known case of a 43-year old Black man who died in a chokehold in 2014 while being arrested by New York City police on suspicion of selling single cigarettes.
The flavor bans that are currently sweeping the country have more to do with e-cigarettes than menthol cigarettes.
That’s because a mysterious vaping-related illness has sickened more than 1,880 people nationwide and led to at least 37 deaths. In California, at least 150 residents have fallen ill and at least three have died, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Most of those illnesses have been associated with vaping cannabis products, and yet politicians’ urge to adopt flavored tobacco bans continues.
In July 2016, Chicago became the first major U.S. city to ban menthol cigarette sales, but it limited the prohibition to within 500 feet of schools.
Of the more than 200 communities in the country that restrict or ban the sale of flavored tobacco, fewer than 60 include restrictions on menthol cigarettes, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Aspen, Colo., will ban all flavored nicotine products, including menthol cigarettes, effective Jan. 1. A few communities in Minnesota already have such bans in place. In California, close to 50 communities restrict or ban flavored tobacco products; of those, more than 30 include restrictions on menthol cigarettes. Notably, San Francisco banned menthol cigarettes along with all flavored tobacco products in 2018, before banning all vapes and e-cigarettes earlier this year.
At the national level, the Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of flavors in combustible cigarettes in 2009, but exempted menthol. Last November, the agency proposed a ban on menthol-flavored combustible cigarettes, calling their use among youths “especially troubling,” but it has not yet taken action.
Then the Trump administration said in September it would soon ban all flavored e-cigarette products, but it may now be backing away from banning mint and menthol.
Menthol, which was first added to cigarettes in the 1920s, is as old-school as it gets when it comes to flavored tobacco, yet it hasn’t prompted action in the way that vape flavors such as cotton candy and strawberry-melon have. That’s because vaping was embraced by a specific population: affluent white teens, Yerger said.
Big Tobacco aggressively pushed menthol cigarettes on Black youths in the 1950s and 60s, and now some people consider Kools and Newports part of Black culture, McGruder said.
McGruder and others point out that the tobacco industry has supported and funded civil rights groups and causes, forming relationships with prominent Black leaders such as Sharpton. Big Tobacco acknowledged that it has contributed to Sharpton’s organization, the National Action Network, and similar groups.
McGruder said it’s difficult for the African American community to contradict respected male civil rights and religious leaders, so when they argue that menthol bans will lead to criminalization, the community listens.
But Bobby Sheffield, a pastor and vice president of the Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce, said the criminalization argument is a scare tactic.
“We’re not trying to have anyone incarcerated because they have this product in their possession,” Sheffield said. His organization, which represents local businesses, started campaigning this year for menthol bans in California’s Inland Empire, including the cities of Riverside, San Bernardino and Perris.
Some smokers understand the need to keep tobacco out of the hands of children, but they don’t think it’s fair to include menthol cigarettes.
“It’s stupid. Now they’re trying to act like menthol cigarettes are the problem. These have been around for a long time,” said April Macklin of Sacramento, who smokes Benson & Hedges menthols. She smoked when she was younger, quit, and started again three years ago.
The city of Sacramento will ban the sale of flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes, effective Jan. 1.
Macklin, 53, said she might just quit because she won’t smoke anything other than menthol. But even with a ban in place, she doubts menthol cigarettes will be gone for good. “I’m sure people will figure something out,” she said.
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News and first published on the website California Healthline.
FONTANA, CA—- The Fontana Pastors United is having their first community block party on Saturday, November 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Fontana. Father Stephen Casmus has agreed to co-host the event and he is excited to bring the community into his church and being to help those in need. The Loveland Church, under the direction of Dr. Chuck Singleton, will host the event.
They are expecting hundreds to be in attendance, so come early. At the event, there will be free food, free groceries, free gifts and prizes for the kids, free clothes and free health checks, job resources. The host church will be Loveland Church located at 17977 W Merrill Avenue, Fontana, CA 92335. Pastor Kevin Moore is an associate minister of Loveland and CEO for Fontana Pastors United organized the event.
You are invited to come and have a great time, churches from around Fontana will be in unity and one accord. We are the body of Christ and members of one another. For more information call Pastor Kevin Moore at 909-829-0171 or Loveland Church at 909-356-LOVE or contact Father Stephen Casmus at 909-822-9917. You can preregister at sbpastorsunited.org. Thank you. “Providing hope to a Generation”. The Fontana Pastors United is praying for You.
LOS ANGELES, CA—- 2,390 participants came together at the LA Zoo November 2 to walk for friends, family and loved ones affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Amongst the crowd were caregivers, those living with Alzheimer’s, civic leaders, celebrities and members of the community who want to play a part in fighting a disease that affects 5.8 million Americans. Friday the Association announced the event has surpassed its fundraising goal of $750,000.
Funds raised at the event provide free, local care, support and advocacy, as well as research initiatives. Monies raised also fund the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900), which offers services in 200 languages.
During the walk’s opening ceremony FOXLA Good Day LA Host Rita Garcia and FOXLA Anchor Bob DeCastro brought the crowd to tears as they shared their personal journeys with Alzheimer’s disease.
“My grandma passed away after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012. I can’t tell you how difficult of a journey it was to watch the disease progress so fast and so deliberate in such a strong and independent woman,” Garcia said. “It was heartbreaking to constantly remind her of who she was, who we were, how much she had taught all her granddaughters and how we would continue with her legacy of traditions, customs and, my favorite, her special dishes. I walk in honor of by dear grandma.”
Nikki DeLoach, actress and Alzheimer’s Association Celebrity Champion, shared her personal commitment to the cause in honor of her dad, who is living with Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia.
“The road with dementia is a long, winding, emotional battle,” said DeLoach. “But today, we were reminded that by coming together at Walk to End Alzheimer’s we are paving the way to finding a cure for this devastating disease, and supporting one another on this journey.”
This year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s Los Angeles welcomed a new partnership with Tandem Careplanning, a public benefit corporation that helps clients and caregivers obtain and manage in-home care relationships.
“As a company that strives to be a partner throughout the caregiving journey, Tandem Careplanning is proud to support the Alzheimer’s Association and work together to ensure continued improvement in care and research for a disease that affects many of our clients,” said Joshua Greer, CEO and co-founder of Tandem Careplanning.
DeCastro summarized the energy that brought everyone together to raise awareness and funds for those fighting this disease now and in the future.
“From the people living with Alzheimer’s to their caregivers, it takes an incredible amount of compassion and courage to cope with this devastating disease. With the same love, strength and faith we will someday find a cure,” he said.
Of the Americans living with Alzheimer’s in the United States, more than 670,000 in California. Additionally, more than 16 million family members and friends provide care and support to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Every 65 seconds someone in the U.S. develops the disease.
The final walk of the 2019 Walk to End Alzheimer’s California Southland 14-city series will take place November 9 in Palm Desert. For more information, visit alz.org/walk.
Final Selection to the PaleyLive Fall Season Features the Cast and Creative Team from Tyler Perry’s The Oval
BEVERLY HILLS, CA— The Paley Center for Media today announced the final selection to its PaleyLive LA fall season: An Evening with Tyler Perry’s The Oval. This exciting program will take place on Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 pm at the Paley Center’s Beverly Hills location.
“Tyler Perry is one of the most creative and prolific minds in entertainment and we’re thrilled to host his new BET series,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s President and CEO. “I can’t think of a better program to conclude our PaleyLive fall season.“
Tyler Perry’s The Oval, BET‘s addictive and popular drama series from acclaimed creator Tyler Perry, has quickly become one of the most talked about series on television, claiming the #1 spot as the new scripted series for general market P18-49, P2+ for ALL of cable TV.* Tyler Perry’sThe Oval traces the story of a newly elected President and First Lady, Hunter and Victoria Franklin, placed in the White House by people of influence. Filled with compelling doses of secrets, power and revenge, the series also highlights the personal side and everyday lives of the First Family, and staff who run the inner workings of the nation’s most iconic residence. The Paley Center will screen an episode from Tyler Perry’s The Oval, followed by conversation with series stars Ed Quinn (Hunter Franklin), Kron Moore (Victoria Franklin), and other members of the cast and creative team.
PaleyLive programs offer audiences the rare opportunity to engage in lively discussions in intimate settings held at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, to not only expand society’s understanding of the cultural, creative, and social significance of media, but also to educate and entertain the public.
Tickets for An Evening with Tyler Perry’s The Oval are now on sale to Paley Center Patron, Fellow, and Supporting Members. Tickets go on sale for Paley Center Individual Members on November 13 at 9:00 am; and to the general public on November 14 at 9:00 am. PaleyLive events often sell out to Paley Center Members before tickets go on sale to the general public. Paley Members enjoy presale access and ticket discounts. Become a Member today, and get tickets to this event before the general public. For more information on the many benefits of Paley Center Membership including early access to purchase tickets, please visit paley.me/join.
For more information on this event please visit paleycenter.org.
On Saturday, Nov. 9, Bernard J. Tyson, the first Black chairman and CEO of California-Based Kaiser Permanente, spoke at AfroTech, a convention organized by the Los Angeles-based digital media company Blavity.
“I’ll be discussing technology and equity in healthcare,” Tyson tweeted not long before sitting on a panel at the annual gathering of Black techies that he and more than 5,000 other guests attended at the Oakland Convention Center.
The next morning, just about 24 hours later on Sunday, Nov. 10, Kaiser Permanente, the health insurance and hospital system Tyson led as CEO since 2013 – and Chairman since 2014 – announced the 60-year-old executive’s sudden death.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that Bernard J. Tyson unexpectedly passed away early today in his sleep,” Kaiser Permanente wrote in a statement published on the organization’s website.
Tyson’s family has not yet announced the cause of his death.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors, employees and physicians,” Kaiser’s statement continued, “we extend our deepest sympathies to Bernard’s family during this very difficult time. An outstanding leader, visionary and champion for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.”
Tyson is survived by his wife, Denise Bradley-Tyson, and three sons: Bernard J. Tyson, Jr., Alexander and Charles.
Later on Sunday, Americans across the country – and Californians across the state – joined Tyson’s shocked family members, colleagues and loved ones to remember the Bay Area native’s many contributions to his home state and country.
“Our nation has lost a powerful, brilliant, and inspiring leader and voice for health equity and health justice,” Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment (TCE), told California Black Media in an email. “Peace, blessings, and the Lord’s loving embrace to my friend Bernard, and to his family.” TCE is the largest private health foundation in the state.
U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) said Tyson helped to expand health care coverage among African Americans in California.
“I am heartbroken upon learning of the passing of Bernard Tyson,” Lee said. “Bernard dedicated his life to making health care more accessible for our communities. My prayers and condolences are with his family and loved ones during this time.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued a statement shortly after finding out about Tyson’s death Sunday.
“Jennifer and I are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of health care pioneer and our dear friend Bernard Tyson,” the governor wrote. “Bernard’s vision and influence made an impact at home and abroad, and he led with excellence on behalf of millions of Kaiser patients and thousands of employees.”
Tyson, known across the country as one of the leading experts on U.S. health policy, was the only Black CEO of a billion-dollar corporation of a similar size in California. If Kaiser were publicly traded and were not a non-profit corporation, it would have been the 42nd largest Fortune 500 company in the United States.
Tyson was also one of only five Black CEOS in the United States leading a major corporation. Kaiser Permanente administered 12.2 million health plans in 2018 and reported a net income of $2.5 billion. The corporation’s operating budget hovers just under $80 billion and it runs more than 700 medical facilities, including hospitals, across the United States.
People who knew Tyson also remember him as a champion of racial justice and an advocate for diversity and equality in the work place.
“I’m devastated,” Magic Johnson tweeted. The ex-NBA star and businessman was Tyson’s close friend.
“He was a visionary and championed for best quality and affordable healthcare, especially in underserved communities,” Johnson wrote in another tweet. “Bernard spent over 30 years at Kaiser and as an African-American man, I was so proud when he was named CEO.”
In 2017, Time Magazine included Tyson on its list of the world’s 100 Most Influential people.
The Golden Gate University alum (undergrad and graduate degrees) also served on a number of boards, including the American Heart Association and the San Francisco-based technology company Salesforce.
“A light unto this world has gone out,” tweeted SalesForce CEO Marc Benioff. “He always did so much for others and the world. One of the world’s greatest CEOs.”
Kaiser has appointed Gregory Adams, a former executive vice president, to replace Tyson as interim chief executive and chairman.
African-American leaders across the country – and around California – are pulling out all the stops this time. They say Blacks cannot afford to be undercounted in the US 2020 Census.
During the last census in 2010, field reps undercounted African Americans across the United States by more than an estimated 800,000 people.
The data census workers collect is used to determine how over $800 billion in federal, state and local money for programs like Medicaid, Head Start, WIC, SNAP, Community Block Grants, Title 1, and more, is distributed among communities throughout the nation. The federal government also uses that information to decide how many United States representatives each state is allotted in Congress.
“There are certain zip codes and certain populations that are hard to count,” said Cassandra Jennings, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League. “Those groups include Blacks, Latinos, Asians, the youth, elderly and renters.”
Jennings also serves as a subcommittee chair for California’s Census 2020 Hard to Count Campaign, tasked with making sure there is full participation among Californians.
In Sacramento County where Jennings lives, she is working with 50 partners to develop culturally sensitive outreach methods for targeting Blacks. Trusted messengers in the community, Jennings says, like community based groups and African-American media, including Black-owned radio stations, newspapers and magazines, will help the Urban League get the word out.
Last month, African-American leaders around the country convened a ‘Tele-Townhall’ titled “Make Black Count.” Civil rights leaders, activists, journalists, members of the clergy and concerned citizens joined the conversation via teleconference to get a better sense of ways they can encourage people of African descent living in the United States to participate in the upcoming census.
The National Urban League (NUL), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCR) and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) hosted the town hall, held on Oct. 22.
Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor of Georgia last November, joined Marc H. Morial, president of NUL, the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of NAN, and Melanie Campbell, president of NCBCP, among others, to lead the discussion.
“The Census is important because it is the foundation for all reapportionment – drawing of lines for council seats in cities, county commissions, juries, state legislatures, certainly for members of Congress, and in those communities which elect judges from districts, it also impacts that,” said Morial.
Morial challenged the ‘Tele-townhall’ participants to do all that they can to make sure everyone is fully counted and to hold the US Census Bureau accountable to conduct a full and complete count.
In California, African Americans, in large numbers, mainly live in about ten of the state’s 58 counties. In those regions, the majority of Blacks reside in tracts that the United States Census Bureau has designated hard to count, according to California Black Media’s “Counting Black California” report.
So, in Los Angeles, Alameda, San Bernardino and Sacramento counties, for example, local governments are funneling California census money to support the work Jennings and others are doing to mobilize participation among Blacks and other hard-to-count groups. So far, California has invested about $187.3 million into achieving an accurate account of state residents in the 2020 Census.
From March 20-22 next year, Sacramento County census outreach groups, for instance, will hold a “Black Count” public awareness weekend. It will feature a blitz of activities targeting more than 14,000 Blacks in the county, including “pop-ups” at approximately 20 churches in the capital city area to provide volunteer training. There will also be special programs aimed at getting the information to young people.
Similar efforts are being planned in counties across California.
To effectively reach African-American communities in California, Jennings said, census outreach workers will have to focus on educating people about why the census is important to them. They will also have to explain that every member of each household must be counted, including all children and grandchildren – even if they are not listed on the lease.
During the 2010 census, 10 percent of the estimated 4 million children in the United States that census workers did not count lived in California, according to the California Complete Count Office.
Last week, the California-Hawaii NAACP Conference announced a plan to sign up African Americans across California for census jobs. The effort called “Black Recruitment Week” will be led by the civil rights group’s local branches and will be held from Nov. 24-26. The state NAACP will announce the dates, times and locations of the hiring events on its website.
Special attention would have to be given to aging adults, too, Jennings said, because some of them are isolated from social networks and lack access to computers, smartphones, radios and even television.
For some African Americans, it’s a matter of trust, Jennings added. “It’s important for people to know their information won’t be ‘out there’ or compromised, and if they are concerned about information being reported to landlords, for instance, rest easy, it won’t.”
The U.S. constitution mandates the federal government to count every resident of the United States every 10 years. Next year’s census will officially kickoff in April.
“The way the count will work is: Beginning March 12, Census 2020 will mail a unique user ID to most U.S. households,” Morial told participants of the ‘Tele-townhall.’ “This will allow heads of households to complete the form online, or by mail, or by phone, ahead of Census Day, which is April ,1 2020.
By Robert C. Falkenberg, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of California
For millions of Americans, the fall marks open enrollment season, the time when people select or switch their health benefits for the following year. While many people are likely to look for a health plan that meets their needs and budget, consumers should also be aware of potentially overlooked benefits and programs that encourage well-being and help save money.
Here are several benefits and programs people should look for when considering their health plan for 2020.
Incentive-based well-being programs: A majority of U.S. employers offer well-being programs, many of which include financial incentives for healthy activities such as walking, going to the gym or meeting certain health benchmarks (e.g., cholesterol levels, body mass index or non-nicotine use). For instance, some plans offer access to wearable devices that enable them to earn more than $1,000 per year in financial incentives for meeting certain walking goals, including reaching 10,000 daily steps. Other “gym check-in” programs offer people the chance to earn gift cards or plan premium discounts by visiting a participating fitness facility a certain number of times each month.
Access to telemedicine: Technology is changing how people navigate the health system and interact with health care professionals, providing more convenient and simpler access to treatments for nonemergency medical issues such as flu, pinkeye and bronchitis. To encourage the use of telemedicine, more health plans now include coverage for these services and offer mobile apps that connect people to doctors 24 hours a day via the camera on their mobile phone, tablet or computer. Telemedicine may provide more convenient access to quality, cost-effective care, in some cases for less than $50 per visit.
Savings on hearing aids: Approximately 48 million Americans experience hearing loss, ranking it as the third most common chronic condition – yet hearing health care services and hearing aids are not typically covered by traditional Medicare. For support, some employer-sponsored and Medicare Advantage health plans are starting to offer coverage for hearing health testing and hearing aids. Depending on the plan, people may be able to purchase custom-programmed hearing aids at significant discounts compared to those without coverage, in some cases for as little as $100 out of pocket. For all consumers, new “home-delivery” models are making it more affordable to treat hearing loss, which some studies show contribute to depression, dementia and increased risk of falls.
Prescription sunglasses and at-home orthodontic care: People with some vision plans may be able to purchase a second pair of prescription eyewear (including sunglasses) for their normal or a reduced copay and coinsurance. Other vision plans may provide coverage for a pair of traditional safety glasses or blue-light filtering eyewear for extended computer use. Meanwhile, some dental plans with orthodontic coverage now provide network access to “teledentistry” and direct-to-consumer clear aligners, helping people improve their smiles – and potentially save time on in-person appointments – for less than $1,000 out of pocket.
Health care open enrollment usually occurs during a two-week period during the fall; for people enrolled in Medicare, enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7; and individual state exchanges from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. To determine access to these programs, people can check with their company’s HR department or directly with their health plan.
By looking for and using these potentially overlooked benefits and resources, people can help maximize the value of their health plan, support well-being and save money.
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