Welcome to CHC

Community Health Councils (CHC) is a non-profit community-based health promotion, advocacy and policy organization. CHC was established in 1992 in response to the growing healthcare crisis. Our mission is to improve health and increase access to quality healthcare for uninsured, under-resourced and underserved populations.


Reduce disparities in healthcare

Issues/Hot Topics

Food Desert to Food Oasis: Promoting Grocery Store Development in South Los Angeles. Ready access to healthy food is taken for granted in most neighborhoods. But that is not the case in South Los Angeles, where many residents must travel outside the community to find fresh and nutritious food. Food Desert to Food Oasis, released by CHC in July 2010, examines policy and systems changes the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County can adopt to attract full-service grocery stores and improve access to affordable healthy foods in what is now a food desert.

This brief is the first in a series of reports on transforming South LA's food desert. Food Desert to Food Oasis provides recommendations on policy and system changes the City and County of Los Angeles can adopt to attract healthy food retail to the South LA community and includes case studies of successful strategies from across the country. The report focuses on the development of new full-service grocery stores in under-served neighborhoods, and documents the current food resource environment in South LA and the area's market potential. The recommendations are based on a year-long analysis by members of CHC's Food Resource Development Workgroup on how to overcome barriers to new development in South LA.

Hear a panel discussion about LA's food deserts with CHC's Lark Galloway-Gilliam and other experts on Southern California Public Radio's Patt Morrison show or watch KNBC's news segment on the report.


Democrats' Budget Proposal: A More Balanced Approach  The California legislature continues to struggle to resolve the State's $19 billion budget deficit even as we enter the third month of fiscal year 2010-11.  On August 3rd, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez announced a new budget proposal that includes implementing key revenue strategies and rejecting most of the Governor's May revision proposals, including those for Health & Human Services.

Community Meeting on Oil Severance Tax  Baldwin Hills residents gathered to hear testimonials on the impact of budget cuts to vital health and human services and to learn how the proposed $1.2 billion oil severance tax could help fund public services and protect the environment.

California Healthy Food Financing Initiative  Sponsored by Speaker John Perez and Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass, AB 2720 would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to develop recommendations to promote access to healthy foods in underserved areas.

South LA's Expiring Fast-Food Moratorium  South LA's fast-food moratorium expires in September. Where do we go from here?

Newly Appointed MLK Board of Directors  The LA County Board of Supervisors has approved seven candidates to serve as the Board of Directors for the new MLK Hospital scheduled to open in 2013.

Employment Opportunity  Be part of an organization where you'll be on the frontline of healthcare reform in California. If you are committed to changing health and healthcare in our community, there is an opportunity to join Community Health Councils as a Policy Analyst.

On May 14th, Governor Schwarzenegger released his May Revise to the proposed 2010-11 California state budget. California faces a $17.9 billion shortfall, which the Governor resolves through steep cuts to our fragile healthcare system and without any measures to increase revenues to ease the budget crisis. Overall, the Revise seeks $12.4 billion in spending reductions.

Read CHC's Fact Sheet: May Revise to the Proposed 2010-11 State Budget for an overview of key changes and new reductions in the May Revise to the 2010-11 state budget.

Learn 7 Things California Can Do to Protect the Health of Children & Families and Put People Back to Work, CHC's alternatives to preserve health and social services programs for millions of children and families hardest hit by the current recession. These measures would position California to receive more federal funding for healthcare, jobs, transportation, education and a healthy environment.

A detailed analysis of the impact of the healthcare cuts in the May Revision on the California and local communities is available in our Fact Sheet on the Impact of Healthcare Cuts.

The 2010-11 California State Budget and related documents are available on the Department of Finance budget page.

 

neighborhood food watch