Advancing Equity in Developmental Services
By Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health & Human Services Agency Secretary
At the California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS), we invest a lot of time and energy focusing on equity. It is at the core of what we do, so much so that we have put the word and concept front and center in our guiding principles and strategic priorities; we have hired a chief equity officer and required the departments within our agency to do the same.
However, I must admit, in practice, sometimes it can be challenging to make equity a real, tangible part of everything we do. The status quo can often act as a roadblock on the path to true equity. This can be disappointing because we do believe, with every part of our soul and mind, that a focus on equity will truly help us achieve our vision of a Healthy California for All.
Yes, a Healthy California for ALL. Not all who can do this or that, but ALL — full stop.
Equity is about shifting power. As we continue our work to modernize the developmental services system to better serve the needs of Californians with developmental disabilities, we need to keep this idea at the forefront. This work is about making that shift and advancing the goal of a person-centered, equity-focused, and data-driven system.
What does equity look like in this new system?
At our first committee meeting around this work, I asked participants to take a moment to close their eyes and imagine what a truly equitable California looks like for people living with a developmental difference. I invite you, the reader, to take a moment to do the same.
When I do this, what I see is someone with the support needed to live to their highest potential, who can find a way to meaning and purpose as much as those who live without a developmental disability.
So, how do we go from where we are today to that place we can all imagine when we close our eyes and dream big? We can accomplish this by disrupting the status quo, shifting power, and truly focusing and following through on equity, which is exactly what the collaborative work of this community and committee is all about.
We know that today there are many resources available, but how they are arranged, who has access, what it takes to become eligible, and how timely you can receive them is hit or miss across California. It is often easier the more resourced your community is and how proficient you are in English. But in California, where we have such amazing diversity, we can’t let those barriers drive the experiences so many people and families have. That isn’t equity. That isn’t a Healthy California for ALL.
This is not a process where the outcome is only a modernized developmental services system. Reforms will emerge but only because they help advance the overall needs of consumers and their families. That is what this work is about, pushing the equity agenda across all of our departments and offices to support and empower the individuals and families we serve. Across the agency, we will need to reorient what we do and how we do it to fulfill the equity vision we have for this work and this community.
This work isn’t simply about analyzing the system. It is an opportunity to recognize the amazing investment many of you have worked so hard to secure and demand that it provides the most possible good for the most people — a true Healthy California for ALL that includes people with developmental disabilities.
As we move forward through this process, I invite you to join us in this work and challenge all of us to stay focused on equity. We need your voice, we need your experience and expertise. We need you. For this process to be successful we must hear from those with lived experience and we must all work to amplify those voices. Together, we can build a more equitable developmental services system that is more person-centered and based on quality, outcomes, and cultural competence.
Together, we can build a true Healthy California for ALL.
