STATEWIDE HEALTH CARE POLICY

From April to December of 2007, the CLUE-CA network has carried out an extensive educational campaign focused on ensuring that the core values of health care accessibility, affordability and accountability are incorporated into any statewide policy reform.

Initially, CLUE-CA focused on four strategic areas - San Diego, Orange County, Southeast Los Angeles county and Stockton/San Joaquin, developing special faith-rooted educational materials and carrying out educational presentations in over 130 congregations with creative response vehicles (from Get Well cards for the community with scriptural messages to Polaroid pictures of families after services with messages for our leaders.)

These response vehicles were then taken to legislators for conversations about values. By September, the moderate legislative representatives in those areas had become advocates for affordability and accessibility, leading a victorious effort to improve the proposition which was passed by the legislature.

CLUE-CA leaders then engaged over 70 religious leaders in facilitating 48 hour prayer vigils in Los Angeles and San Francisco (and briefer vigils in Riverside and San Diego) in front of the Governor's Offices to remind participants in the Special Legislative Session about the moral imperatives surrounding health care. CLUE-CA leaders then began a special effort to set up educational sessions with conservative legislators with a connection to the faith community.