Free Bilingual Guide to California's Health Insurance and Public Benefit Programs from the California HealthCare Foundation Now Available.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), in collaboration with the California-Mexico Health Initiative (CMHI), today released a guide for health insurance and public benefit programs (Guia de Seguros de Salud y Programas de Beneficencia Publica), a special bilingual newspaper supplement available to anyone looking for resources for access to health insurance and public programs. The guide is being released throughout California as part of Binational Health Week (BHW) (Oct. 10-18).

During BHW 2004:

--More than 160,000 people are expected to receive health services in 17 U.S. states;

--Over 660 BHW events will take place in more than 180 cities and localities; and

--Approximately 2,800 people are contributing to BHW activities through over 670 agencies.

Binational Health Week was created in 2001 by CMHI to improve the health and well-being of migrant workers and their families. This weeklong series of events benefits underserved Latinos regardless of their national origin. This year, with the participation of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad and the U.S. Mexico Border Health Commission, BHW is being expanded from California to 16 other U.S. states and the District of Columbia. BHW seeks to contribute directly to strengthening the physical and mental health of this population.

"This new bilingual guide provides a variety of health program resources for people who may not be aware of the options available to them," said Margaret Laws, director of Public Financing and Policy at the California HealthCare Foundation. "While the guide is useful to those in need of insurance, it is also designed to be a resource to help health care workers and community-based organizations in their outreach to the community."

The guide is being distributed at BHW events and through a variety of partners in both California and Mexico. Included in the guide is information about binational programs from Mexico, local benefit programs, and children's programs, along with telephone numbers and Internet resources.

Guia de Seguros de Salud y Programas de Beneficencia Publica will also be distributed via a network of 13 Spanish-language or bilingual newspapers in California. Program partners include the Department of Health Services (DHS), The California Endowment, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores) of Mexico (SRE), Ministry of Health (Secretaria de Salud) in Mexico, and the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). Also, a network of consulates, health organizations, community based organizations, legal organizations, and newspapers are participating in dissemination.

Free copies can be ordered by calling 888-430-2423 (request publication number 1706). The supplement will also be available through a network of community-based organizations serving Spanish-speaking communities throughout California.

About the California HealthCare Foundation

The California HealthCare Foundation, (CHCF) based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing systems. Visit www.chcf.org for more information.

About the California-Mexico Health Initiative:

The California-Mexico Health Initiative (CMHI) was created in January 2001 under the auspices of the California Policy Research Center of the University of California, Office of the President. It is a collaborative effort involving government, academia, private sectors, and community-based organizations of both countries. Visit http://www.ucop.edu/cprc/cmhi.html for more information.