CPCA Navigates 2020 Census Environment
The 2020 Census is well underway. As of Wednesday June 24th, 62.8 % of California households have self-responded to the Census. It is vital that all Californians are counted this Census 2020 as Census data will decide how billions of federal dollars are allocated for California schools, infrastructure, health services, child care, emergency services and many other programs.
In addition, Census data will determine the number of California’s Congressional members and Electoral College votes. Federal funding for essential community services that support our families and political representation is at stake. To ensure California obtains a complete and accurate count, the California Census Campaign continues to work with more than 120 partners, despite experiencing ongoing operational changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last September, CPCA was designated the Health Sector Lead by the California Complete Count - Census2020 Office and has been leading census outreach work for Community Health Centers (CHCs) in partnership with regional clinic associations. In California, 1,370 CHCs serve as care providers and trusted messengers for 7.2 million patients. CHCs provide healthcare services to California’s most vulnerable populations, with 63 percent of CHCs patients at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and more than 70% of patients being people of color. CHCs diverse patient mix, and their close connection to community members, uniquely positions them as essential leaders for communicating to patients the importance of participating in the 2020 Census.
In spite of the challenges CHCs are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CHCs continue to work with local partners and coalitions to incorporate census outreach activities into online campaigns and daily operations. These efforts include spreading awareness to hard-to-count (HTC) communities on social media platforms, providing online trainings, engaging local media to promote the 2020 Census, and distributing informational flyers to patients.
In addition, CPCA is continuing to provide guidance and best practices for pursuing census engagement amidst COVID-19. Recently, CPCA released a COVID-19 Census 2020 Digital Health Toolkit made in partnership with AltaMed Health Services, Blue Shield of California Foundation, First 5 Association of California, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Latino Community Foundation, NALEO Educational Fund, National Immigration Law Center, and Native People Count California. This toolkit includes messaging and talking points, social media graphics, sample email to stakeholders, PSA scripts, and additional resources that can be utilized to raise Census awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic. To help elevate this tool and provide the health sector with best practices for engaging HTC communities in the Census, CPCA hosted a webinar on June 16.
CPCA, with our regional consortia partners, will continue our mission to make sure each Californian is represented in the Census for the next 10 years. To be successful in this endeavor, CPCA will be sending out biweekly TA emails and will now be hosting monthly TA calls with subcontractors to encourage peer sharing and a collaborative thinking tank to further reach HTC populations.
Visit CPCA’s Census 2020 campaign website https://www.myhealthcountsca.com to stay up to date on available Census resources for CHCs and other health organizations. To get involved in your local Complete Count Committee, or for more information, please visit californiacensus.org.