The Public Health Advocate: Finding Resilience (Spring 2016)

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findingresilienceundocumented

secret cost

major crisisthe uninsurance problem page 15

mental health takes its toll on hardworking students page 6

the future of the undergraduate public health major is uncertain page 12

letter from the editorDear readers,

As the field of public health grows and expands, it becomes increasingly critical for those invested in the field to understand what the “public” part of that means. Who are we serving? Where are they coming from? Most importantly, in situations where resources and time and attention are limited, what work are we prioritizing?

The emerging consensus is that we must direct attention to the populations most in need of it — those that are most vulnerable. These populations are at a disadvantage in cultivating positive health outcomes, often due to a lack of resources, structural prejudice, or a combination thereof. While we want to support these communities, our great hope is to provide sustainable solutions to the problems that they face. Our greatest challenge is figuring out how to do so, and we believe that this process starts with finding the natural strengths present in these communities and building upon that foundation.

The world of public health is ever changing, and as we’ve seen with such events as the outbreak of the Zika virus and even the potential shutdown of the Public Health major this spring, challenges can appear suddenly. Our resilience determines whether we are equipped to deal with these challenges as they arise. In this issue we discuss real barriers in the implementation of services for the Disabled Students Program, in social media campaigns seeking to break down the stigma surrounding mental health, and in assessing and addressing the impact of gentrification — both upon students and upon the larger community.

With public attention finally shifting to our most vulnerable populations, we hope to support these communities as they work toward sustainable healing, and that they find resilience along the way.

Sincerely,Smitha Gundavajhala and Jessica Chuang

editors-in-chief

editors-in-chiefSmitha GundavajhalaJessica Chuang

managing editorsMercedes LiKaitlyn Rice

contributing writersJacob DemeMercedes LiJessica DuseboutJessica ChuangKaitlyn RiceAmy ChangElizabeth LiSmitha GundavajhalaVedaja Surapaneni

copy editorsMercedes LiKaitlyn RiceShelby KimSmitha Gundavajhala

layout editorsMercedes LiKaitlyn RiceSmitha Gundavajhala

staff advisorsJeremy HamiltonSonthonax Vernard

an affiliated publication ofsponsored by

staff

what is public health? 4

the secret cost of perfection 6

making responsible accommodations 8

gentrification nation 10

the Public Health major crisis 12

undocumented and uninsured 15

“healthcare” in the 2016 election 18

Q&A: health in the media 20

what does the ACA mean for us? 22

contents

cover and back page images by Jess Liu

some images from freeimages.com

ADA accessible

importantly, analyzing the practicality of public health allows us to consider principles of human rights, cultural perspectives, and social determinants.

One thing that emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional perspective is the public health major at UC Berkeley. Most schools do not have a public health major, and very recently UC Berkeley was on the verge of getting rid of its. Many people do not realize the important implications of the Public Health Major. Without learning about the social and political factors of health care, we cannot adequately provide this for society. Public health major prepares students to learn these factors. This major is valuable to UC Berkley students because it will allow them to make a larger impact on society. UC Berkeley, known for its liberal nature and passion for change, would not be able to make effective change without a multidimensional knowledge of science and humanities. Public health will give students the tools to develop a broader perspective about worldly thinks, including various aspects of health. There is no other major that will prepare students for the multidimensional tasks necessary in health care fields than a public health major.

A major in public health can lead to a wide variety

health care. Upon hearing the word health, society usually

tends to think of a hospital or a doctor. However, health care can be much more complex than this. There exists another essential aspect of health care

that most people never really think about. There are a variety of careers in health care that are equally important as a family doctor or a surgeon. Public health is an interdisciplinary field that combines information on epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health behavior, and health policy. It focuses on not only natural science, but also social science. Without the knowledge of humanities, our perspectives will be one dimensional, unable to serve a large community. This approach is essential to our multifaceted modern world. There are so many social factors integrated in health that it would be detrimental not to consider the humanities aspect. This major allows us to think not only about the basic definition of public health, but also how it can be applied to real life situations. In order to solve the problems we face as a society we need to have a multidimensional knowledge to address the complex issues that arise from combinations of both science and humanities. In reality, the world is not divided by clean categories, but is instead integrated. Most

what is public health?

and more importantly, what can we do with it?

4 | SPRING 2016

Amy Chang contributing writer

Amy Chang is a first year student with an intended double

major in Public Health and Psychology. She in interested

in studying cognitive behavior, neuroscience, and different

social determinants. Her dream is to work in global health

for countries that have poor health care systems. In her free

time, she likes to explore San Francisco trails and attempt

to illustrate.

of careers. Medical school is not the only route that is connected to health. UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health has fourteen different programs under Public Health. Some important fields that people get involved with in Public Health are Biostatistics and Informatics, Community Health, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Global Health, Health Policy Management, Minority Health Disparities, and Social and Behavioral Health. Under Public Health, one can enter many different career paths. Biostatistics and Informatics deal with using models to make sense of community trends and population patterns involving health. Under the field of community health, one could be a health administrator, health educator, or community health worker. Epidemiologists look at the spread of diseases and develop practical solutions. Under environmental health, one could be an environmental engineer or quality analyst. Someone interested in global health could become a Refugee Coordinator, HIV/AIDS educator, or a project manager. There are many different professions including but not limited to social worker, Public Relations manager, and Nutritionist specialist.

These types of jobs includes public, non-profit, private, and academic careers. The skills of public health are easily

transferrable to a myriad of careers, emphasizing the overarching importance of this interdisciplinary field. The main goals of Public Health as released by the CDC are to monitor health status, inform and educate, mobilize community partnerships, develop policies, enforce laws and regulations, and evaluate effectiveness of policies. There are many options and possibilities with a public health major to become involved in health. Health care should be thought of as more than just a simple collection of hospitals and doctors. There are a variety of different health careers that are equally as important and valuable to society.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCATE | 5

photo illustration by Smitha Gundavajhala

the secret cost of

f rom the outside, students at UC Berkeley look like they have everything put together. It seems as if every student has a 4.0 GPA, a full-time job, twenty extracurricular activities, and five summer internships lined up; while these things are rarely realistic, the

façade of every student having his or her life together puts lots of pressure on every individual.

The apparent perfection of students at UC Berkeley has a secret cost, and it has taken a toll on students’ mental health. Seeing as UC Berkeley is the number one public university in the world, all of the students here are exceptionally hard workers who strive to constantly better themselves and the world around them. However, these valiant efforts are often accompanied by an unspoken atmosphere of intensity and competition, and under the mask of perfection lies tens of thousands of overexerted, sleep-deprived, stressed-out students who feed off of the pressure from those around them.

U C B E R K E L E Y ’ S S T U D E N T S A R E N O T C O D D L E D . With limited space, the budget of a public university, and over 27,000 undergraduate students, UC Berkeley has little room to pamper its students. The university has not even guaranteed housing for incoming freshmen of the upcoming 2016-2017 year, leaving some new students scrambling to seek out off-campus housing on their own.

While most professors here are willing to meet with students during office hours to explain concepts and assignments, the students must go out of their way to approach the professors or graduate student instructors for assistance, since asking questions in lectures with as many as 800 students proves to be difficult. Students must proactively pursue guidance from their advisers if they want help determining which classes to take, because due to the sheer number of students in every college and major, advisers cannot approach each student individually to offer help. Many majors such as Public Health and Business are capped, and require students to apply to the major partway through their undergraduate education, which creates an air

of uncertainty for students who are not yet admitted to their intended major.

A L L O F T H E S E FA C TO R S , A L O N G W I T H M A N Y OT H E R S ,contribute to the ever-growing stress and pressure within the UC Berkeley community. Sophomore Lydia Warren weighed in on the subject, saying, “I’ve had to find everything on my own or through discussion with peers, and end up wasting my time, mental peace, and units in classes that I don’t want or need. However, it has also taught me to be independent, and I have learned the importance of being assertive when seeking help and answers.” On one hand, these stressors lead to students developing important skills that they will use for the rest of their lives, but people can only be pushed so far so it is crucial that students have access to resources that can help them cope with the difficulties that being a student can present.

The intensity of the high-pressure environment of UC Berkeley leads many students to believe that their gains in the world of professional development come before their mental health and wellbeing. Mental health often falls on the backburner because it is a more invisible success, whereas professional development is typically more visible. We often value resumes above sleep, problem sets above adequate meals, club meetings above exercise, and internships above our own happiness.

Invisible successes, such as sufficient amounts of sleep, food, exercise, and happiness are personal and internal, and while they contribute to professional success, they cannot be written on a tangible resume. We spend the entirety of our undergraduate years preparing for the workplace and a career, and we rarely take the time to step back and evaluate how we are holding up, both physically and mentally. While sometimes it may seem as if taking a break from school and career-oriented activities to take a breather is a loss of valuable time, the lack of mental health within the university does not foster an efficient and conducive learning environment.

Taking the time to address mental health deficits would actually lead to increased productivity, and therefore would

6 | SPRING 2016

Elizabeth Li contributing writer

“perfection”

UC Berkeley’s students may appear to be perfect, but what are the consequences?

be a wise way to spend a portion of our time.This issue cannot be fully resolved by individual students alone — it must be addressed by the campus and culture of UC Berkeley as a whole. Freshman Jinnie Rhee feels that some solutions would be to “increase awareness of meditating, give students time to stand up and walk around in classes longer than an hour and a half, and offer students greater access to the botanical gardens in order to de-stress.”

In order to lessen the pressure placed on students by classes, the UC Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning’s article “Alleviating Students’ Stress” suggests that professors strive to make the course schedule and expectations extremely clear to all of the students at the start of the course. In addition, the pressure-cooker environment of UC Berkeley requires other changes, such as more widely advertised mental health services and resources, a shift from the trend of comparing students to one another, and increased efforts from faculty and professors to offer professional, emotional, and educational assistance to students who are struggling.

L U C K I LY, A W A R E N E S S A B O U T T H E I M P O R T A N C E of mental health is increasing, and information and resources are becoming more widely available. At the beginning of the month of December in 2015, Claudia Covello, the Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s University Health Services, along with Harry Le Grande, the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Fiona Doyle, the Dean of Graduate Division sent out an email to students discussing suggestions to increase mental health and personal wellbeing, as well as resources available both locally, and via phone or social media. The email offered a link to free, anonymous mental health screenings, which take place at many locations around the country, including Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley.

Sophomore Karen Rodriguez-Ponciano, who is a member of the Mental Health Coalition, started working on a project that would give students access to wellness and mental health resources, specifically through social media platforms. Since social media is so pervasive in society — especially on college campuses — nowadays, it offers an opportunity for students

to gain access to resources that they might otherwise be unaware of, or that they might be uncomfortable seeking outside of the security and privacy of their own dorm or apartment. On the topic of the current state of awareness and access to mental health resources at UC Berkeley, Rodriguez-Ponciano states, “Drawing from the feedback received from previous Mental Health Town Halls and personal experience, more active and intentional outreach is very much needed to ensure resource awareness and accessibility. Mental health and wellness resources are there, but many students do not know much information about them or they do not even know they exist.”

P E O P L E T E N D TO B E R E LU C TA N T TO A D D R E S S C O N C E R N S about their wellbeing, because there is often a stigma surrounding mental health problems. The utilization of easily accessible resources to educate and inform more people about the various factors that contribute to mental health issues can assist in overcoming the stigma.

While it often feels as if steps forward in the professional development world require putting mental health and wellbeing on pause, there are ways that students and the university can work to address both areas. Through efforts by both the faculty and students at UC Berkeley in the realm of coursework, resources, and stigma, we can all work to address mental health concerns. Sometimes, all it takes is a switch in discussion or a small reminder that happiness is more important than professional development to turn people’s attention towards the value of mental health and wellbeing.


Elizabeth Li is a second-year student interested in public health,

media studies, and public policy. She is particularly interested in

mental health, and hopes to either enter the realm of medicine or

become the Director of Happiness at Google. She is a big fan of

puppies, cheesecake, and Hawaii.

Invisible successes, such as sufficient amounts of sleep, food, exercise, and happiness are personal and internal, and while they contribute to professional success, they cannot be written on a tangible resume.“

”photo illustration by Mercedes Li

the phrase “college experience” manages to conjure a variety of images to one’s mind. The exploration of newly gained freedom and independence, adventurous endeavors with new friends, or caffeinating to a dangerous degree for the next exam is all images surely prominent in the minds of UC Berkeley alumni. Many

of the challenges, victories, and tragedies one may encounter in the college years are shared, in a way, as so many students are faced with similar situations. This is what builds life-long friendships, romances, and professional relationships that could all very well enrich one’s future after the diploma has taken its framed place on the wall. And it is within this reality that the shared experiences are what relate each and every person to the other. And within this relationship hides a painful truth, camouflaged by perceived irrelevance and unimportance. This truth takes the form of a demographic that may or may not walk among the rest without assistance of one form or another, a demographic that is subjected to exclusion, alienation, and unwarranted scrutiny due to an affliction over which there is no control.

The disabled members of society, and more specifically the University of California community, have made great strides in the fight for sufficient resources to achieve success as a student and a contributing member of society, despite the physical or mental burdens that will forever remain as a part of their lives. By no means has this fight been won, and the struggle continues to retain and improve campus life for disabled students. It is the root of this struggle, or perhaps more the root of its necessity that hinders freedom, threatens dignity, and suppresses societal progress. This root being that those not within the disabled population simply cannot relate to many of the experiences a disabled person may endure on a daily basis. Note that these words come from

a student treading the line of having a physical disability that greatly affects everyday life, while in many ways not outwardly appearing so.

Evidence of the disconnect within the understanding, or lack thereof, can be seen in many facets of the disabled students’ lives on UC Berkeley’s campus. One of the most internal of which is the Disabled Students Program, or DSP. The Disabled Students Program and the resources its staff provides are perhaps the most powerful lifeline a disabled student can draw upon when tackling the obstacles of academics. Services such as specialized test proctoring, reduced course loads, lab assistants, note takers, convenient meetings with academic and financial advisers, and much more are made available through the work of those that help run DSP.

Accommodations such as these are the foundation on which disabled students build their successful academic careers with similar opportunities as those without a disability. It is for this reason that abuses, criticisms, and mockeries of such programs can strike a deep emotional chord within the disabled student community. In the cases of abuse and mockery, the fact that at first glance I do not appear to be part of the disabled student body has allowed some able-bodied members of the UC Berkeley community to comfortably reveal to me some specific examples about these assumptions. Much of the abuse I speak of comes in the form of non-disabled students acquiring unwarranted testing accommodations based on false or over-exaggerated ailments.

Of course this is most definitely a minority of test accommodation cases, each time a transgression such as this occurs, those that truly need these programs are overlooked and often doubted. In no way is one simply getting extra time to make their tests easier or less stressful, for if this were the

an overlooked perspective

Jacob Deme contributing writer

the stigma of disability makes it difficult to effectively provide services

8 | SPRING 2016

case such false requests would understandable even if it is no less despicable. Instead, when someone decides to abuse the services provided by DSP, they are brutally undermining the efforts of disabled students to achieve equality in the classroom, and concurrently disrespecting the staff and faculty working to provide assistance to those who are truly in need.

For a disabled person, every day is filled with constant reminders of the harsh realities of one’s disability. So when the resources that allow us to achieve our goals despite this reality are squandered on those either too ignorant to understand the extent of their actions or those too insensitive to care, it feels as if a great injustice has been committed. Instances such as these, coupled with cases of professors becoming suspicious of students performing “too well” when given accommodations, or of course the fantastically misinformed statement of, “Wow you’re so lucky!” are all much too common examples of a disconnect that exists in the lives of those with disabilities and those who are unfamiliar with the disabled plight. It is the consistency of cases like these that allow us to delve deeper into the source of this disconnect.

How is it that we live in a time and place where modern progressivism is so popular, but such insensitive actions occur consistently and remorselessly? While the most informed, motivated, and sympathetic non-disabled ally of the disabled cause may be a true asset to the progress for the disabled community, even they cannot comprehend what it is like to live with a disability. Therefore when we apply this idea to the average non-disabled college student, it becomes clearer as to why the disabled perspective remains so overlooked.

Without a personal connection to the disabled community, whether that means having a disability or being close to one who does, there is no other trigger for the

non-disabled student to consider such a perspective. Not to mention the fact that the college years can be an extremely self-centered time as one tries to establish who they are to the world as well as to themselves. The fact is that disabled or not we are all attempting to accomplish this ultimate goal and much more in such a transitive period of our lives, which proves itself as a rallying point between the disabled and non disabled demographics. Another step can easily be taken by those who normally subconsciously, or consciously, disregard the disabled perspective that could dramatically improve the view of disabilities held by society and the UC Berkeley community.

No one is asking for a grand gesture, for a surge in outspoken advocacy or a social revolution, and there are many parallels between the lives of disabled and non-disabled people. There are even more aspects of disabled life that are simply incomprehensible to anyone who lies outside of the disabled demographic. Because of that lack of understanding, it is unbelievably important that there is a sense of respect regarding the struggle that the disabled students face when trying to achieve the “college experience” on equal ground with their friends, classmates, and fellow Golden Bears.

Jacob Deme is a second year intended double major in Public

Health and Political Economy. He hopes that after he completes

his undergraduate education he will be able to attend graduate

school and attain his Masters in Public Health. His hope is that

his professional career will lead him to enact the social and

political change required to gain a global perspective about

health care and the individual’s right to it.


peopleprofit

over

health and medicine — these are two words that are as tightly intertwined as the snakes in

the Caduceus that represent them. It is interesting, yet all the same unfortunate, that health is so often looked at one-dimensionally, as something that can only mean a something caused by injury or disease. In reality, health is impacted by a plethora of social, environmental and biologic factors – these factors are often viewed or studied separately, but in reality are intertwined in inextricable ways. External factors include but are not limited to socioeconomic status, education level, race, gender, age, neighborhood, job status, housing, food access, physical activity, and safety.

HOUSING IN BERKELEYOne factor of health that students here at Berkeley can

especially relate to at this time is housing. This year, our administration announced, will be the first year that freshman are not guaranteed housing on campus. A Resident Assistant and ASUC Senator, Aanchal Chugh reflects on housing in Berkeley when she says, “I was an RA last year, so for me, the lack of residence hall spaces for residents is a really big issue. It is really problematic to see the university prioritizing building hotels in a city of mostly students that already do not have guaranteed housing and will not be able to afford living in this hotel. It is clear that the university is not prioritizing student need, and the city of Berkeley is becoming more and more difficult to live in. In addition, landlords have far too much power and the rapid increase or rent is making housing all the more difficult to live in.”

THE IDEA OF GENTRIFICATIONIt is easy for people to become accustomed to the poor

conditions of housing in Berkeley, but the complacent nature of students and others that are affected will only fail to bring improvement. It is important for improvement to happen because gentrification can seriously affect health. Gentrification is a trend in urban areas that results in higher

Vedaja Surapaneni is a first-year at UC Berkeley,

majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She is interested

in medicine and the way that public health has the ability

to impact large numbers of people. Currently she is also

involved with Cal Rotaract, Morning Sign Out (online health

publication), and American Medical Women’s Association.

She hopes to one day play a significant role in

bridging education and health gaps.

property values at the expense of displacing low-income families. Where a person lives impacts the strength of their social ties, access to healthy and affordable food, commute time, quality of education, sense of safety, exposure or protection from toxic substances, and ultimately, overall quality of life.

In a 2014 publication called Development without Displacement, Candelerio Mendelez, a tenant in a gentrified location, expresses his concerns when he says, “[because] of neglect and lack of repairs, families go hungry because they have no kitchen to cook in. Children have no space to study or play, and their health and development are affected.” Mendelez’s

words make the direct effects that poor housing can have on health and well-being evident.

It is important to act and speak on behalf of people like Mendelez and also fellow students. Some efforts are being coordinated to not only ameliorate the effects of gentrification on campus, but in the local community. According to Marisa Asari, the student coordinator of the Health Equity Action Lab at Berkeley, HEAL is “currently developing a Displacement and Resistance Tour in San Francisco to highlight active organization and resistance in response to gentrification and as well as displacement and new development”. Protests on Sproul that relay student opinion on unaffordable housing have also begun, but there is still much to be done. Long term improvement will take lots of collaboration and consistent efforts.

Senator Aanchal Chugh


a closer look at gentrification and its effects on general and mental health

Vedaja Surapaneni contributing writer

…Since discovering the Public Health major, I have not been able to see myself doing anything but public health for the rest of my life…Public health as a field has transformed my perspective on the world and has shaped me into a better person…It’s rare that public health is available to undergraduates, and the public health department here is indispensable for this unique major…I have finally found my passion in public health and there is nothing else I want to do with my life…I would have to rethink my entire four year undergraduate plan and after graduation plan to accommodate the elimination of the program, potentially adding numerous semesters…the elimination of the public health major would not only sadden us, but it would be a smack in the face from the UC system…I’m paying for my tuition and I deserve the right to major in the one major I tried so hard to declare…I could barely wake up this morning knowing that my passions, my energy, everything I worked for was being taken away from me…In the semester that I’m finishing my very last prerequisite of the many…I’m not going to let the discontinuation of the major prevent me from taking public health classes here (as they will be offered) or pursuing an MPH after I graduate with a different degree…Why eliminate the major that is so interdisciplinary and incorporates a variety of studies? Why rob the many student’s future ambitions, passions, and goals in Public Health?...I’ve been working towards this major for the past two years, and my family and myself have poured lots of money into my education…the only motivation I had to continue persevering in these difficult major prerequisites was the hope of finally being able to study what I loved through the Public Health major…I went to Berkeley wanting to major in a field that would play a vital role in promoting societal equity, justice, and sustainability…It is the only major I’ve seen that I love at Berkeley…the administration should look towards other solutions that do not take away from students’ passions and interests…In the recent past we’ve had/we have the Ebola, Chipotle E.Coli, and Zika virus epidemics; how can we justify eliminating education on Public Health when it may be the most relevant subject of all?...Many of us made the decision to come to Berkeley because of this outstanding program…I have seen the major produce some of the most humble, educated, passionate, determined individuals I have ever met in my life…This major has led me to understand the importance of health everywhere, and why it matters…The cessation of the program will be harmful both in disincentivizing individuals from learning about public health and in tarnishing the reputation of hundreds of students who have graduated with the major…My classes have transformed my view of human health, and have made me feel like I can make a difference in the lives of others, and in the world…I have received so much guidance and knowledge by being in public health…removing the major shows that this amazing public university doesn’t value public health…Dismantling the undergraduate program is a serious disservice to those who seek out higher education in order to develop both a new perspective on life and a skill set that will enable them to compete in the work force…knowing that others would no longer be able to declare the major that is so near and dear to my heart would make me very sad…Every student should be allowed to graduate with

MAJOR PERIL

photo illustration by Mercedes Li

the uncertain future of the undergraduate public health major

On Leap Day 2016, when the calendar year was readjusting itself to the Earth’s astronomical year, a number of UC Berkeley students received a shock that jolted their goals and objectives out of sync with their potential futures. That evening, the program directors of the undergraduate public health major released a letter that announced the decision, in light of the University’s substantial deficit and reduced funding for the School of Public Health (SPH), “to suspend [the] undergraduate spring admissions cycle while…determining the future of the major”. It stated the possibility that the major would be discontinued beginning Fall 2016, with no effect on currently declared students, and that the uncertain future of the major would be a subject of deliberation and debate in the upcoming week and months.

Within a day, a protest event on Facebook was organized to rally students in support of the public health major and against the contemporaneous possibility of dissolving the College of Chemistry. The monthly School of Public Health Town Hall that Thursday, usually hosted by the Diversity, Inclusion, Community, and Equity Committee to improve the climate and culture within the School of Public Health, saw many attendees raise concerns instead about the School’s budget crises and worries about the future of the major.

T H E L E T T E R S PA R K E D O F F PA N I C A N D U N E A S E I N T H Ein the public health student population, especially among undeclared second-year students who were on the verge of completing their final prerequisite courses and submitting their application to the major. The decision to suspend spring admissions placed in jeopardy the academic and professional plans of these undeclared students, a number of whom regarded the public health program a pivotal factor in their decision to matriculate at UC Berkeley.

Mary Figueroa, the undergraduate representative on the Public Health Alumni Association Board, disseminated a climate feedback survey among undergraduate public health students the day following the initial announcement.

Expressions of disappointment and outrage were common in the responses that the Board received from students, both current undergraduates and major alumni. The results of the survey were conveyed to the Graduate Assembly in order to represent the students’ concerns and feelings regarding the budget cuts.

In an interview, Figueroa said that many students “discovered a sense of purpose and passion for the field outside of being [in] medicine, or becoming a doctor, [the major] literally opening up their horizons, as far as opportunities…those who were considering pre-med discovered this whole new area of medicine and health”. Many survey responses also revealed “the public health undergraduate major [as] their exposure to higher education, to graduate programs, to pursing a Masters in Public Health, to pursing higher ed in general.” With regards to mobilizing support for the major’s future, Figueroa stated: “We need to gather up a group of dedicated public health advocates, and really mobilize this [momentum] even further to ask the institution itself to be transparent about how is SPH funding allocated.”

On the Friday of that week, a second letter from the co-directors of the undergraduate program in public health announced, “the School of Public Health has agreed that the major will continue to be available to suitably prepared Berkeley students who are currently enrolled as well as those who will matriculate in the fall semester of 2016,” and accordingly reopening the spring 2016 application cycle. Across the Berkeley campus public health students breathed a sigh of relief, but the initial financial causes have not disappeared and the continued existence of the major through 2020 and beyond is still not ensured.

A VERY POPULAR AND COMPETITIVE PROGRAM AT BERKELEY, he public health undergraduate major is ranked #1 in the nation, but is an “impacted” program and turns away approximately 40% of its applicants in each round of semesterly applications in fall, spring, and summer. Commonly encouraged backup programs are Integrative Biology, Interdisciplinary Studies, Social Welfare, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and American

Mercedes Li contributing writer

MAJOR PERIL


Studies, some of which are also impacted majors and suffer from overenrollment and overcrowding in classes.

In an Academic Program Review released February, the School of Public Health named a number of challenges facing the major, including the distribution of the undergraduate teaching workload, dissatisfaction with areas of the undergraduate educational experience, strained efforts to improve undergraduate diversity with a capped enrollment, and insufficient opportunities for research and practical experience. In Spring 2015, 434 students were enrolled in the program. Over 3/4 of declared undergraduate public health students identify as students of color, and a number of student responders to the climate feedback survey attributed their major choice to a desire to work in disadvantaged communities and promote “societal equity, justice, and sustainability,”

In a forum hosted to clarify the decision and discuss potential ramifications, the co-directors of the program, professors Jeffrey Oxendine and William Satariano, cited that financial support from the university has declined while costs escalate. Oxendine stated that they “wanted to at least make people aware that the fact that there was a potential for the undergraduate program to be discontinued or reduced... and to give students the opportunities to look at other options”. Satariano added towards the end of the forum, “one of our important agenda items…is coming up with a sustainable financial model and that means looking to philanthropic sources and possible areas of support.”

P U B L I C H E A LT H I S A N I N T E R D I S C I P L I N A R Y F I E L D , incorporating and synthesizing medicine, policy, environmental science, statistics, social welfare and many other fields of study into a population-wide approach to preventing disease and promoting wellbeing. As the United States experiences emerging epidemics and outbreaks of infectious disease, an increasing burden of chronic illness, a shifting landscape of healthcare policy and health technologies, the demand for graduates trained in the core disciplines of public health—biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health policy and management, and community health and human development—can only increase.

To quote the various students of the major, “the public health program at Berkeley is a cornerstone of Berkeley’s academic curriculum…not only does eliminating the undergraduate program steal opportunities from underprivileged students, it will also dissolve a space of learning, growth, and community for those who have found their passions in this field… Now is the time to embrace majors that encourage and inspire students to make the changes in the flaws they see in the world around them.”

Mercedes Li is a 3rd year public health and psychology

major. Alongside her role as a managing editor on

The Public Health Advocate, she is also chair of the Health

Policy & Advocacy committee in Cal UPHC.

Her interest in public health lies at the intersection of

policy, education, science, and design, and she also enjoys

graphic design and musical theater. In the future she hopes

to work in hospital management, health policy research, or

community education and development.

THURSDAY

Initial announcement:suspension of spring

applications and potential sunsetting of majorMONDAY

Climate Survey disseminated by Alumni Association Board

2/29

TUESDAY3/1

THURSDAY3/3SPH Town Hall

Unofficial announcement:reopening spring applications

F R I D AY3/4Official announcement:

program ensured for Fall 2016 matriculating class

Protest for public health majorand College of Chemistry

TUESDAY3/8

3/10

School of Public Health Undergraduate Forum

SPH State of the SchoolBudget Forum

14 | SPRING 2016

undocumented

uninsuredand

photo illustration by Smitha Gundavajhala

One of the most hotly debated issues in this year’s presidential campaign has been illegal immigration. Whether or not you support amnesty, stricter border laws, expansion of green cards, or deportation, there is no doubt that there are 11.4 million undocumented immigrants in

this country who face many problems everyday that the rest of us do not even have to consider.

The passing of the DREAM Act in 2010 has made monumental strides to ensure that undocumented students wishing to achieve higher education have the opportunity to do so without fear of deportation. The act also helps undocumented students get drivers licenses and jobs, and includes an eventual path to citizenship. Though extremely important, the DREAM Act did not include anything about healthcare, something that affects all Americans, with papers or without.

what the ACA means for the undocumented

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, President Obama stressed that undocumented immigrants would neither be required to enroll nor be allowed into federally funded health programs like Medicaid or Medicare- or receive the subsidies necessary to afford this coverage. Most undocumented individuals’ jobs do not offer comprehensive healthcare plans, so the children of these families may be uninsured. So where do undocumented students get the healthcare that they need?

what UC Berkeley undocumented students think about healthcare

Many universities, including UC Berkeley, not only offer comprehensive healthcare plans, but also mandate that every student have coverage, whether it is through the school or

through a private plan. SHIP— UC Berkeley’s health plan— offers medical, counseling, prescription, vision, and dental services. Many undocumented students, including Yongbin Chang, a second year, have SHIP, because the program, unlike some private plans, does not require proof of legal status.

Grace Ho Jung Kim, a ASUC senator involved in undocumented students’ issues, also stated that she obtains health insurance through SHIP because “it is the best health care [she] can receive at the moment”. In addition, she expressed that she can only be covered under SHIP because of the DREAM act and the financial aid it provides. Therefore as Cal students, their healthcare experience is similar to that of any other documented student, other than the fact that before and after UC Berkeley, they are more likely to be uninsured, like Chang and Kim were. Upon graduation, however, Chang expressed that he may worry about obtaining healthcare coverage, due to the lack of “healthcare providers that exist to provide [care] for undocumented folks”. He also stated that for him to find a health plan after UC Berkeley, it would take “research and word of mouth”; otherwise, he would be uninsured again.

what it means to have uninsured youth in our country

If undocumented students are more likely to be uninsured before and after college than other students, this means that with the exception of this 4-year window, they are going without necessary care. Studies, according to the Undocumented Patients Project, have shown that uninsured individuals— undocumented or not— are much less likely to use care, especially preventative services. Because illegal immigrants make up at least a fourth of the 30 million uninsured Americans, lacking vital preventative care at all stages of life should be considered a nationwide epidemic.

The International Business Times states that in May 2016, California will allow illegal immigrant children to be eligible for Medi-Cal, a state healthcare program for low-income

Kaitlyn Rice contributing writer

11. 4 million in this country are undocumented.

With this many going without healthcare and health insurance, how much longer will it take before we recognize this unseen epidemic?

16 | SPRING 2016

individuals, thanks to the work of the Health4All Campaign. However, in the rest of the country, undocumented

immigrants are not allowed to have insurance on the individual market or through government programs, and often do not receive care through employer-sponsored plans. Undocumented children and young adults therefore may not receive needed care at extremely important growth stages, and may have issues having access to preventative services like screenings and contraception. It can be argued that having a proportion of America’s youth that receives less healthcare may lead to a less healthy adult and elderly population in our future, yet we will have to wait to see the full implications of a generation without access to preventative services.

economic impacts of uninsurance

The lack of available care for undocumented immigrants is not only a problem from a humanitarian standpoint, but from an economic one as well. Since the 1980s, hospitals have been required by law to treat anyone who comes in their doors for emergency services, without regard to their ability to pay or immigration status. By institutionally denying undocumented immigrants preventative care, they – and other uninsured populations – are driven to utilize this law in hospitals as a last resort for their healthcare needs, which increases their risk of complications or death and costs us more money.

According to Mark V. Pauly in his article about “the spillover effect”, to cover the expenses of patients who cannot afford to pay their bills, hospitals are forced to off-set these unpaid costs by raising the prices for all other services they provide, therefore shifting these expensive costs onto us. According to Louise Radnofsky of the Wall Street Journal, it is estimated that emergency room care for undocumented immigrants adds $1.7 billion per year in healthcare costs. Therefore, it would save a lot of money and lives if we were able to provide undocumented and other uninsured patients with healthcare coverage before they have an emergency medical need.

looking forward: how to improve access

If Chang does not obtain care through his employer upon graduation, he would be able to find care in emergency service at hospitals, safety net or community health centers, or charities, all of which do not check immigration status but bring with them their own problems, as explained by the Los Angeles Times. Like many other students, without an employer-sponsored plan, he may be uninsured once again.

The fact that 11.4 million people in our country- including students, who are future doctors, lawyers, and business owners- are forced to go without necessary preventative care is a national crisis. Thankfully, universities often provide services that allow college students to have healthcare during their four years. California is also leading the way on providing undocumented children the healthcare they need and deserve through governmental programs. However, in the United States as a whole, the issue remains that undocumented immigrants are more likely be uninsured and face barriers to care. It is important that we as future leaders examine the possibility of policy changes to allow them to receive even the most basic and preventative care, both because it is cheaper and because access to healthcare is a basic human right that we all deserve, regardless of immigration status.

Kaitlyn Rice is a third-year at UC Berkeley, double majoring

in Public Health and Spanish Language. She is interested in

health management and policy, specifically how languages

and cultures affect the delivery of healthcare in different

nations. Currently, she is the Co-Managing Editor for The

Public Health Advocate, is involved with Zeta Tau Alpha

Fraternity and a member of the Undergraduate Public Health

Coalition on campus. She hopes to one day use her Spanish

and Portuguese language skills to improve efficiency, cost-

control, and access to healthcare both in the United States and

around the world.


H E A LT H C A R EJessica Chuang contributing writer

O N T H E C A M PA I G N T R A I L :

H E A LT H C A R EH H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

H H I L L A RY C L I N TO N H

H B E R N I E S A N D E R S H

what do the candidates’ platforms really say about healthcare?

DEMOCRATSDEMOCRATStheHillary Clinton’s main focus is to continue and build on the Affordable Care Act. From her campaign website, Clinton lists how she plans to build on the Affordable Care Act and move towards a bundled payment instead of a fee-for-service payment.

Making premiums and out-of-pocket expenses such as co-pays and deductibles more affordable.

Providing incentive to get states to incorporate and expand Medicaid.

She plans to do so by providing refundable tax credit up to $5000 per family or $2500 for individuals, if out-of-

pocket expenses are greater than 5% of total income. For a college student, this plan will help reduce out-of-

pocket costs needed for visiting a doctor if the out-of-pocket fee is greater than 5% of the student’s income.

To bring in people into Medicaid, Clinton plans to invest in navigators, advertising, and outreach. As

a result, people with low-income can gain healthcare through this system.

Allowing families, regardless of immigration status, to purchase health insurance through ACA.

Reducing cost of prescription drugs.

Advocating for legal abortion and reproductive health care.

This means that undocumented students can purchase health insurance from Medicaid.

Having individuals choose a healthcare provider without worrying about in-network or out-of-pocket costs.

Saving $6 trillion in next ten years, with the typical middle class family saving $5000 or more.

This means that people who use Medicare or Medicaid won’t be denied by some health-providers

because they are out-network or financially cannot afford the high cost.

Bernie Sanders’s platform is “Medicare for All,” focusing on a federal single-payer system in which the government provides universal healthcare costs for everyone. From his campaign website, Sanders focuses how he will implement the single-payer healthcare and how he will get the funding for it.

No more copays or deductibles. As college students, this means that students won’t have to pay

large sums out of pocket and costs not covered by the insurance.

Covering all aspects of health including mental health and substance abuse and prescription medication.

The family would pay $466 per year instead of over $5800 in premiums, copays, and

deductibles. This means that students with families/dependent could save over $5000

because they no longer have to pay premiums, copays, and deductibles.


18 | SPRING 2016 photo illustrations by Smitha Gundavajhala

REPUBLICANS

Jessica Chuang is a fourth-year student majoring in Integrative Biology and minoring in Anthropology at UC Berkeley. In the past, she was involved with

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and participated in an archaeological dig. She is now involved in basal cell carcinoma research, empowerment program for

young girls in underserved communities, and radiation oncology center volunteering. In the future, she hopes to work more with underserved populations

and pursue a career in medicine.

H T E D C RU Z H

H D O N A L D T RU M P H

H J O H N K A S I C H H

REPUBLICANSthe

Allowing families, regardless of immigration status, to purchase health insurance through ACA.

Reducing cost of prescription drugs.


John Kasich plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He wants to use Ohio’s Medicaid program as a model for implementing a focus on patient-based primary care and episode-based payments. Instead of relying on a fee per service model, this method is focus on health professionals working as a team and reimburses based on the care. This Medicaid program in Ohio works with private insurance companies: Anthem, Aetna, Medical Mutual, and United Healthcare.

Expanding flexibility for states by allocating funds on a per-member, per-month basis for Medicaid.

Prohibiting abortion except for cases of rape, incest, and mother’s life at risk.

Banning late-term abortions, and stopping the flow of funding to Planned Parenthood.

As governor, he has expanded Medicaid.

Since Ted Cruz’s campaign site doesn’t state his view on healthcare, this is from his statements as a senator.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act and expanding health saving accounts, so that individuals are able to place tax-free money and pay for medical fees not covered by insurance.

Allowing individuals to buy health insurance across state lines.

Moving the eligibility age for Medicare higher and move to premium-support system.

Preventing Medicaid expansion under the ACA, as states would have to be financially responsible for healthcare costs.

This means individuals choose their own private health insurance with the government giving some

monetary contribution. As a low-income college student, this means that an individual would have to

purchase the private health insurance and cannot rely on Medicaid.

Depending how much the state decides to pay for healthcare costs, college students may or may

not be able to get Medicaid depending on which state he/she comes from.

Banning abortion, even in cases of rape and incest — including banning late-term abortion; defunding Planned Parenthood.

Donald Trump plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act through Congress.

Allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines and allowing health savings accounts, which is tax-free and can be passed on to heirs.

Allowing individuals to deduct a premium from their tax returns.

Changing Medicaid into block-grants.

Upholding a free market for drug providers, which allows overseas drugs import.

This means that the federal government will give annual lump sums to states which

allows states to make more of a decision. Then, each state would have different

Medicaid programs depending on how much the state wants to allocate.


Tell us a little bit about your background, and how your experiences led you to the concurrent program between the School of Public Health and the School of Journalism that you’re in today.

So, I went back to school when I was 30 years old (I’m 36 right now). And for most of my 20s, I was a heroin addict. I was a heroin addict for about 10 years, and I did everything that heroin users do. I lied, and I stole stuff, and I did whatever it took to get loaded every day. I ruined my whole parents’ life for a long time... did all kinds of stupid stuff.

And then somehow, at 29, I got clean and sober off of heroin, and I choose not to do alcohol or any other kind of drugs, ‘cause I’m afraid... I don’t want to go back to that lifestyle.

Then I started going back to school almost immediately, and I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was almost 30. My head was scattered, and I took random classes at the community college... and I started doing journalism. Almost instantly, I fell in love with writing.

Then I transferred to San Francisco State, to their journalism. I wrote a column, primarily about my heroin use and kind of related it to current events, sometimes. And in that time, writing that column, I started to contemplate, more and more, studying public health. I didn’t really know what public health was — but also my journalism had led me to write about actual social issues that had a lot to do with substance use, homelessness, mental health, things that would revolve around the criminal justice world... and it all seemed to be interconnected.

Since I’d gone back to school, and things were going well,

I wanted to apply to Berkeley. But I didn’t want to just continue doing journalism, because I’d been doing that for the last 4 years. There was a concurrent degree program I found that was public health and journalism, and that seemed to be worth it to me. I figured I had this experience, a kind of street knowledge of drugs and homeless and if could get that academic knowledge, I could be an expert in something...

And so I applied and I got in.

What do you see as being the role of the media in the broader conversation around health?

I feel like the role of the media is not only to get all the research and all the knowledge that exists in these academic institutions... and kind of figure out how to break that down and disseminate it among the general population (which I think is the ultimate goal, and which I think public health is interested in)...

But the role of the media, I think is to also to hold all these researchers, and these public health departments, and these government bodies that say they do public health, and these nonprofits that say they do public health, accountable for what they say and do.

What are some challenges or conflicts of interest that news outlets often run into, in terms of health coverage? And how can health journalists as individuals address these issues in their work?

That’s the main issue if you’re working in the newspaper world, a very fast-paced news environment — the challenge is working with editors, who have their own agenda, and working for these organizations, the person you’re accountable to is

Smitha Gundavajhala contributing writer

having healthy

We sit down with concurrent School of Public Health and School of Journalism graduate student Brian Rinker to talk about his background, about the role of the media in having health conversations, and how the media can work toward addressing challenges it often faces in health reporting.

Q & A

BRIAN RINKER

with

conversations

20 | SPRING 2016

your editor, for the most part. You have to write for them, and these health stories take time to report, and to put into context, and it’s not always the most clear what’s going on, especially as we see in social epidemiology and health and social behavior. It’s challenging.

So convincing your editor to do these types of stories is difficult, and there’s a time crunch. A lot of times, when people report on studies, it’s because people like to know what’s going on, but also because they can be done quickly. But when you do them quickly, you miss out on what the meaning is.

The traditional news model is to cover what’s happening right now, and you don’t have a lot of time to do it, and there’s not a lot of money devoted to spending quality time in journalism for the most part. But there are also more opportunities to present information to the general public than there ever has been before.

What’s an example of a recent issue that the media handled really well, or maybe really inappropriately? What has stood out to you in recent coverage?

Well, what stands out to me is Flint, Michigan, and how the media just kind of — for the most part — missed out on this huge thing that was going on for a year, where people were complaining about lead poisoning. Not only were they reaching out to public officials, but they were going to Twitter to post pictures of their orange water — reaching out to mass audiences on Twitter. And they were contacting reporters to tell them their story, and the reporters just didn’t believe them, because sometimes the media relies too heavily on the opinion of what they consider to be experts.

Going back to health literacy, I went to a panel for the Association of Healthcare Journalists, and they had some people from Flint, and they had this pastor. He was talking about how they had some Spanish-speaking people still in Flint who were drinking the water up to last November or December. They were still drinking the water because that information hadn’t been made accessible to them in the Spanish language. Whichis shocking, because by that point, it was huge news. So that’s also where the media fails to reach these people who aren’t the typical media consumers.

What’s one thing that journalists can do to increase the credibility of the work that they do in the public eye?

...I have no idea.

No but, with the Zika virus, now they claim there’s this causaul

relationship between microcephaly and the Zika virus, but I’ve also then talked to friends who aren’t very news savvy and they think that the news is just sensationalizing it — showing photos of the children with this condition over and over again — and they think it’s a conspiracy. It depends on what media you consume and how critical you are.

I think the traditional role of journalism has been to curate information for the public, which doesn’t really take into consideration what the public thinks... a lot of that’s changing.

Ultimately, if you’re a journalist, it’s just about reporting. Doing good journalism is really all that matters in the end. And that means taking time, building relationships with people and taking the time to investigate, back things up, and verify.

How do you think it might be possible (if it’s possible) to balance journalism’s aim to be unbiased in its coverage with the fact that a lot of people are increasingly using journalistic techniques to participate in advocacy?

That’s an important question these days, and I often think that public health people think that public health journalism is advocacy, and it’s not. Not that I don’t agree with some of the stuff that people advocate, but as a journalist, my job is to present an issue in a fair way, in an accurate way, without promoting anything.

I think it’s less about being objective than it is about being fair, putting the issue in context. The two big issues people talk about are climate change and vaccination. There’s a small contingent of people that are opposed to that, but they’ve gotten a lot of attention because each side in this debate is often given equal weight, which gives power and voice to a small minority of people, which has contributed to a lot of misinformation. So more, the idea is to be just fair. It’s not that you don’t mention those things, but you just put them into context and explain what’s going on.

That’s my take always, when it comes to being biased — just try to be accurate in your reporting, and fair with how you do it —to the people, to your sources, to your readers.


Smitha Gundavajhala is a third-year Public Health major

passionate about facilitating and understanding the way that

dialogue takes place in the field of public health. She’s developed

this passion for dialogue and community building through the Cal

in Local Government Program at the Public Service Center, the Cal

Undergraduate Public Health Coalition, as well as through Peer

Health Exchange.

Healthcare is one of those things that just does not have an easy answer. Should it be a market commodity — bought and sold by patients, providers, and insurance companies — or should it be considered a right to everyone? Who should the government cover and how should

the coverage be paid for? What is the balance of doing what is best for the economy, but also the citizens? How does a country create an incentive for its citizens to want to pursue careers in the medical field? The questions are endless, have been asked for decades, and continue to be commonly debated today. They have been addressed differently around the world, ranging from Britain’s near socialist system to Japan’s mandated, yet private system, to America’s newly modified market system.

Recently, America has taken some serious steps in attempt to address these questions, and as a result, its healthcare system has experienced some of the most drastic changes

in its history. America is extremely divided on the concept of what healthcare should be much so that many agree the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by President Obama in 2010 was surprising. Its passing can be attributed to many factors, but it comes down to the fact that it was passed quickly; essentially squeezing through Congress and the Senate before there was enough time for it to be combatted at length. Now, it is April of 2016, six years after the passage of the ACA, but just a mere three months since its full implementation, which has brought changes to the

healthcare system affecting all Americans.

The history of healthcare in America is complicated. It started after World War II. When the government began freezing wages as a result of the war, employers began offering their employees healthcare as a

fringe benefit. Thus, employers could not incentivize their employees through increasing their wages. The money in a fringe benefit is not subsidized by the federal government

let’s talk healthcare

the effect Obamacare has had on the Cal community

Jessica Dusebout contributing writer

This mandate has contributed greatly to the polarizing climate of American politics today

as politicians continue to debate whether healthcare should be a right or a market item.

22 | SPRING 2016

Daniel Lopez

meaning it is not subject to taxes and all of the money goes directly toward an employees’ healthcare through the employer. Employer-based coverage began as an accident, and it is now the most common type of coverage in America.

As employer-based coverage expanded, those who were self-employed, unemployed, worked for small businesses, or whose employers did not offer them a plan, struggled to get affordable healthcare. Often, this was a result of the insurance companies’ intensive underwriting tactics when dealing with buyers on the individual market. This allowed companies to assess the risk of the person and determine a seemingly appropriate cost of each buyers’ insurance, meaning that those with preexisting conditions were often denied a plan altogether — however, insurance companies had no choice, as taking every sick patient would guarantee their own bankruptcy. Obviously, something was wrong and something needed to change. Those who needed coverage the most had the most difficulty obtaining it because it was fiscally impossible for insurance companies to help them without throwing in their own towel.

Consequently, the ACA was implemented to lower the number of uninsured American citizens by demanding the abolishment of underwriting techniques, aside from asking smoker status. This has allowed many people who needed coverage to obtain it. But, only changing the terms of underwriting would be unsuccessful as insurance companies would quickly go bankrupt due to the great increase in sick patients. Thus, the idea of a mandate and universal healthcare came to be.

This mandate has contributed greatly to the polarizing climate of American politics today as politicians continue to debate whether healthcare should be a right or a market item. On the one hand, not many would argue that people should die in this country just because they do not have coverage, but on the other hand, others argue that we should not be entitled to the services of individual’s who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and over a decade in education. There are always two sides to a story, and healthcare is no different. Despite the constant disagreement this is where America is today: every American citizen and legal resident, as of January 2016, is required to have a healthcare plan or else they will have to pay an annual penalty fine. And as predicted, some celebrated this mandate as every American citizen is now offered healthcare, while others are worried it is giving the federal government too much power. Long

story short, the passing and implementation of Obamacare has increased access to healthcare for millions of Americans, which was its primary goal.

However, the effects on the Cal Community, and on many college campuses, have been minimal. According to Kim Lapean, communications manager at UHS’s Tang Center, “University Health Services (UHS) at UC Berkeley has always offered one of the most progressive college health insurance plans in the nation,” and thus they welcomed the ACA changes. The mandate the ACA proposed did not have much effect on the UHS as all Cal students have been required to have health insurance for the past twenty years. LaPean attributes this to “student led efforts to have a mandate so that lack of health insurance was never an impediment to

students’ academic endeavors”. LaPean also said they have seen an increase in demand for UHS services and a greater interest in seeking healthcare, which she attributed to the ACA’s focus on preventative services.

The Cal Community has welcomed, adapted to, and

embraced the changes that have come with the ACA. As educated citizens, it is our job to be informed, develop our own thoughts, and decide how we want to respond. Leaders, politicians, and citizens need to be humble and reflect on history to see what has worked and what needs to be changed. America’s healthcare system ranks very poorly in comparison to other developed nations and yet it continues to be the most expensive. According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America’s infant mortality rate is ranked fifth among other developed nations. It was definitely time to face this reality head-on. And whether the ACA is the right or wrong solution, it was a step toward the change that is desperately needed. There is no absolute right or wrong answer on how a healthcare system should be run and understanding all of the different parts is not simple by any means. However, being informed and deciding what is most important to you is the best way to start.

Jessica Dusebout is a third year intended public health major.

Along with writing for the Public Health Advocate, she is

involved in research in the Berkeley Early Learning Lab as

well as a leader for a nonprofit called Hands4Others. She has

always had a passion for children and plans to a pursue a

career in pediatric medicine in the future.

[The Tang Center] has seen an increase in demand for UHS services and a greater

interest in seeking healthcare... attributed to the ACA’s focus on preventative services.


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The Public Health Advocate: Finding Resilience (Spring 2016)

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