Dr. Robert K. Ross, President and CEO of The California Endowment, congratulates PLC on it’s 35th Anniversary
When people think of health, they often think of doctor’s offices and vitamins, not power and place. The truth is, health happens in community, school, and the places people spend their time. And as our long-standing partnership with the Public Law Center proves, health happens in courthouses, attorney-client discussions, and throughout the legal system.
The current day differences in health outcomes between different neighborhoods did not evolve by chance or by the choice of the residents. Recognizing this, Building Healthy Communities is a 10 year, $1 billion comprehensive community initiative launched by The California Endowment in 2010 to advance statewide policy, change the narrative, and transform 14 of California’s communities most devastated by health inequities into places where all people have an opportunity to thrive.
Santa Ana is one of the 14 communities we believe can experience transformational and sustained change through changing the rules so that everyone is valued and has access to the resources and opportunities essential for health. PLC, with its decades of dedication to access to justice in Santa Ana and throughout Orange County, was a natural partner in our resident-focused work.
Since 2011, PLC had been a vital partner in our Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities cohort. PLC trained over 250 staff members of community-based organizations, educated over 3,000 Santa Ana residents on how to access linguistically and culturally competent legal services, and ensured the assistance and representation of nearly 1,500 residents in addressing their underlying legal barriers to health. In addition, The California Endowment partnered again with PLC when it stepped up to co-create and lead the Orange County Naturalization Initiative Collaborative, which not only has helped over 3,000 applicants in the naturalization process, but also provided a platform by which these community members accessed health information, health insurance, and health care.
On the occasion of PLC’s 35th Anniversary, I join the Endowment Staff, past and present, who have worked with PLC to make California and Orange County a healthier place for all, to congratulate PLC for a job well done. We look forward to growing and sustaining our partnership and continuing to uplift and transform communities one resident at a time.
