Building a multicultural movement for health care reform

In 2007, California's Governor declared it the year of health care reform. The Having Our Say coalition was formed to ensure that communities of color, who comprise over 73% of California's uninsured, had a voice in the state's health care reform debate. Now in its fourth year, the coalition has grown to over 40 organizations. The coalition provides technical assistance and a platform where advocates can form a unified agenda on local, state, and national health policy. In 2009, the Having Our Say coalition continued its work, shifting its attention to national reform. Coalition members developed their capacity to speak about critical provisions related to health access and equity including the importance of immigrant inclusion, adequate funds for prevention and California's safety-net, standardized data on race and ethnicity and stronger cultural and linguistic requirements on health insurers. The existence of a community of color led health policy coalition was instrumental in helping our members to become more actively engaged in the struggle for health care reform at the grassroots level. Coalition members organized legislative visits, made phone calls, and participated in rallies, media events and town halls on health disparities. In this session we will discuss the origins of the Having Our Say coalition and the unique niche it fills in promoting local, state, and national health policy solutions that address the needs of communities of color. We will also discuss the strengths and weakness of the Having Our Say coalition as a model for other states.