California Health Equity Program.

Existing law establishes the Office of Health Equity in the State Department of Public Health for the purposes of aligning state resources, decisionmaking, and programs to accomplish certain goals related to, among others, health equity and protecting vulnerable communities. Existing law requires the office to perform certain functions in connection to health equity. This bill would, on July 1, 2022, establish the California Health Equity Program, a competitive grant program administered by the Office of Health Equity to community-based nonprofit organizations, community clinics, local health departments, and tribal organizations to take actions related to health equity. The bill would establish the California Health Equity Fund in the State Treasury and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would make moneys in the fund available for the purposes of the grant program. The bill would also establish the California Health Equity Fund Oversight and Accountability Committee, a 15-member committee with specified membership, to monitor the distribution, implementation, and impact of local and regional grants funded by the California Health Equity Fund and make reports about the status of the program and related recommendations to specified entities, among other duties.