TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement and any necessary documents, including any necessary amendments, with California State University, Long Beach, permitting the use of the Mi Vida Cuenta COVID-19 Latinx Health Initiative data for analysis and research purposes, for the estimated period of
March 1, 2021 through March 2026. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In March 2021, the City of Long Beach (City) launched the Mi Vida Cuenta COVID-19 Latinx Health Initiative (Mi Vida Cuenta) through City Council action to ensure that enough resources are available to provide continuous health education, equitable vaccine distribution, appropriate food distributions, and mental health care for the Latinx community, including undocumented residents. Building from the work of Councilmembers Mary Zendejas and Roberto Uranga’s COVID-19 Latinx Task Force, the Health and Human Services Department (Health Department) collaborated with the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training to create the Mi Vida Cuenta Report and Workplan.
Mi Vida Cuenta is a collective effort of community residents, Latinx serving organizations, the Health Department, Centro CHA, and the CSULB Center for Latino Community Health. The data for this report were collected during the months of September and October 2021 through community listening sessions and stakeholder/community surveys. Overall, five community listening sessions were facilitated with 64 participants, 129 people participated in the bilingual community survey, and 18 stakeholders participated in the stakeholder survey. Community engagement focus areas were informed by four policy areas noted in the 2019 Latino Economic Report Card: economic stability, education, health disparities, and experience of undocumented persons. The analysis of these data informed the recommended workplan leading to four key strategies:
1. Strengthen the economic and social wellbeing of Latinx Long Beach residents across the lifespan.
2. Expand and strengthen opportunities to support Latinx students to improve access and educational attainment.
3. Expand and strengthen healthcare services, including prevention and care coordination.
4. Strengthen collaborations between City officials and local community-based organizations and stakeholders.
The CSULB Center for Latino Community Health’s mission is to improve, promote, and advocate for the health and well-being of diverse Latino/Hispanic communities. In service to this mission, the Center for Latino Community Health has worked with the Health Department on a variety of local health projects, including the Long Beach Collaborative and the Tobacco Education Program. Additionally, the CSULB Center for Latino Community Health has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, Public Health Genomics, the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, and the Journal of Latino Studies, among others.
City Council approval is requested for the Health Department to enter into a data use agreement with the CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, permitting the exchange of data and information for research, analysis, recommendations, and publication. The establishment and implementation of a data use agreement is part of the duties and responsibilities of the Health Department’s health equity initiatives. There will be no fiscal impact to the City.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Taylor M. Anderson on October 10, 2022 and by Budget Analysis Officer Greg Sorensen on October 25, 2022.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on November 15, 2022, to ensure the agreement is in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal or local job impact associated with this recommendation. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
KELLY COLOPY
DIRECTOR
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER