We believe that good health is the foundation for a positive and productive life. Without access to health care services including prevention and wellness services, that foundation is threatened and its effects ripple across all segments of our lives. For these reasons, California Partnership (CAP) advocates and organizes for state and federal health policies that expand access and care to all persons in the U.S., emphasizing the particular needs of low-income individuals, immigrants and communities of color.

In California, CAP monitors the state’s budget as well as health polices that impact the way people receive (and don’t receive) health care. We work to maintain adequate levels of funding for health services, support policies that expand access, and advocate consistently for structural system changes that make it easier for people to get and keep the services they need. At the national level, CAP focuses on children’s health, and selective portions of the Medicare and Medicaid public programs that impact low-income individuals and families and health care reform that leads to a national system that provides quality and affordable health care for all.

As a network of community organizations, CAP advances progressive health policy nationally and statewide through coalitions and the development of strong working relationships of mutual interest. Nationally, CAP is part of the Health Care for America Now (HCAN) campaign and will continue working on education around the state on how the recent Health Care Bill passage will affect California’s communities. CAP is also a member of the Health Rights Organizing Project (HROP) that seeks to advance children’s health, and address health inequities and disparities among communities of color. At the state level, CAP is part of Having Our Say, a coalition advocating for improved health access for people of color, the Children’s Partnership for increasing enrollment and services for low-income children and families, as well as other local coalitions.