In 2003, we led a legislative effort on behalf of millions of Californians whose primary language is not English. Unable to communicate with their health care providers, these patients faced increased risk of misdiagnosis and misunderstanding their treatments. CPEHN co-sponsored groundbreaking legislation, SB 853 (Escutia), which mandates all health plans and insurers in California provide interpreters and translated documents to their members.

In 1992, health advocates and community leaders from four ethnic communities came together to share common goals. At the time, health care reform efforts at the state and national levels provided a unique opportunity to improve the health of communities of color. Yet the violence in South Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict had exposed years of institutional racism and mistrust among ethnic groups.

We recognized the need to bridge the divisions that had grown between our communities and to unite our voices to advocate for a just, equitable, and healthy world. Ethnic health leaders from the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, California Black Health Network, California Rural Indian Health Board, and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California came together to create a forum to advocate for a common health policy agenda for communities of color: the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network.