City and County of San FranciscoDepartment on the Status of Women

COSW Meeting Information - September 16, 2014 - Meeting Minutes

COSW Meeting Information - September 16, 2014

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN & HEALTH COMMISSION

JOINT MEETING MINUTES

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

4 – 6 pm

101 Grove Street, Room 300

San Francisco, CA 94102

Members Present
President Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez
Vice President Andrea Shorter
Commissioner Amy Ackerman
Commissioner Alicia Gamez
Commissioner Mary Jung
Commissioner Julie D. Soo

Staff Present
Executive Director Emily Murase
Associate Director Carol Sacco
Director of Women's Policy Minouche Kandel
Senior Policy Advisor Andrea Evans
Fiscal & Policy Analyst Stephanie Nguyen
Executive Management Assistant Iris Wong
Policy Fellow Allison Ipsen

 

  1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES                              

President Kirshner-Rodriguez and President Chow called the meeting to order at 4:06 pm.

Action: To approve the meeting agenda as proposed                                            m/s/c (Soo/Gamez/Unanimous)

 

Commissioners introduced themselves.

 

  1. NEW BUSINESS
    1. Resolution Recognizing the Contributions of Roma Guy, MSW.

Action: To approve the resolution.                                                 m/s/c (Krishner-Rodriguez/Shorter/Unanimous)

 

Director of Health Barbara Garcia recognized Ms. Guy on behalf of the Health Department, and thanked her for her dedication to promoting health in San Francisco.

 

Commissioners from both Commissions thanked Ms. Guy for her years of service to the community of San Francisco and, in particular, the women’s movement, and mentorship to many of the Commissioners earlier in their careers.

 

Ms. Guy thanked both Commissions for recognizing her.

 

  1. Resolution Recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Action: To approve the resolution.                                                                    m/s/c (Soo/Ackerman/Unanimous)

 

  1. Resolution Recognizing the 2014 CEDAW Women’s Human Rights Awardees

Action: To approve the resolutions.                                                                   m/s/c (Gamez/Shorter/Unanimous)

 

 

  1. Top Health Issues Affecting Women in San Francisco

Director of Health Barbara Garcia introduced Department of Public Health (DPH) Epidemiologist Michelle Kirian, MPH, to provide an overview of the top health issues affecting women in San Francisco. Below are the highlights.

 

  • The top 10 causes of death for women in San Francisco are:
  1. Ischemic Heart Disease
  2. Alzheimer’s and other dementias
  3. Stroke
  4. Lung, tracheal, and bronchial cancer
  5. Hypertensive heart disease
  6. Breast Cancer
  7. Colorectal Cancer
  8. Lower Respiratory Infection
  9. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  10. Diabetes Mellitus
  • The ethnicities with the highest percentages of obese or overweight women are African American (67.2%) and Hispanic (70.4%).
  • One in four women need help for emotional or mental health problems or use of alcohol and drugs, but only 17% of women saw a healthcare provider for emotional-mental and/or alcohol and drug issues.
  • One in seven pregnant women receive delayed medical care or none at all; 50% of pregnant African American women receive delayed medical care or none at all.

 

Discussion focused on ways to provide health care prevention, and to screen patients for domestic violence. Although California is healthier than other states in the United States, the health disparities within the state are alarming. Health Commission agreed with Status of Women Commissioners that there was room for greater gender focus in their work. DPH is changing the way it collects data on gender, so that services and policies can be more inclusive of the women’s community in San Francisco.

 

  1. Women’s Health Related Policy

Department on the Status of Women Executive Director Dr. Emily Murase presented an overview of how San Francisco is responding to violence against women and supporting girls. Below are the highlights.

 

  • San Francisco is one of the top destination for human trafficking. In response to this issue, Mayor Edwin M. Lee created a Task Force on Human Trafficking, staffed by the Department on the Status of Women.
  • The Justice & Courage Project on Domestic Violence Policy Reform recently sunset after 12 years of focused work, with 121 recommendations completed and a record 44 months without any domestic violence homicides. A full final report of the Project can be found at www.sfgov.org/dosw/justice-and-courage-oversight-panel.
  • The Family Violence Council, mandated by the State Attorney General for each County, is the first in the state to bring together advocates and city officials to address child abuse, domestic violence, and elder abuse.
  • LGBTQQ girls are currently vulnerable and underserved: 53% of lesbian/bisexual girls experience depression, and 40% of transgendered girls reported physical abuse by an intimate partner.

 

Discussion focused on the need to educate boys as well as girls, and how to communicate with victims of violence. Both Commissions recognized the need to address violence against women in more comprehensive ways, and to assist elder women as well.

 

Commissioners expressed interest in working together to address the intersection of violence against women and health issues.

 

Public Comment:

Beverly Upton, Executive Director of Domestic Violence Consortium (DVC), thanked both Commissions for recognizing Ms. Guy, who has mentored many leaders in the women’s community. DVC has worked with DPH to institutionalize screening for domestic violence at health clinics.

 

  1. Women’s Services in the San Francisco Health Network

Director of Health Barbara Garcia provided a background on the San Francisco Health Network (SFHN). DPH developed SFHN to bring together services under one comprehensive healthcare system. There are 20 health clinics throughout the city, and 150 additional community-based organizations are funded by DPH.

 

Programmatic efforts over the years have demonstrated success. Below are some examples:

  • 74% of women aged 50-74 who were seen two or more times in a primary care clinic had a mammogram within the past 24 months.
  • 71% of women referred for cervical cancer screening received one within the past three years.
  • The OB/GYN acute hospitalization 30-day readmission rate is extremely low: only 1.8%.
  • At 17%, San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) has a low rate of births by Caesarean section.
  • At 67%, women who deliver at SFGH exclusively breast feed their newborns in the hospital at a very high rate.

 

Director Garcia introduced the following speakers to provide highlights of SFHN.

 

Mary Hansell, Director of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Section at DPH, discussed the Nurse Family Partnership program. Launched in August 2012, this program provides Public Health Nurse home visits to low-income first-time mothers during pregnancy and until the baby’s 2nd birthday. The program currently employs 9 nurses who serve 171 first time mothers. Of these, 16% are African American. Over 90% of mothers start off breast feeding. The median household income is $7500 annually. Evaluation research has shown that this program decreases the risks of child abuse and neglect, accidental injury and ingestions, and improved school performance by children.

 

Dr. Catharine James, Medical Director of Maxine Hall Health Center, highlighted several programs provided to women at the Health Center, including a mammogram van that visits the site more than once a month, significantly expanding access to mammograms. She highlighted the importance of team-based care by sharing a story of a patient who benefitted from the service.

 

Dr. Colleen Riley, Chief Medical Director at Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center, explained that Laguna Honda is a publicly owned general and acute care facility. Last year, 1218 patients were seen, 43% of which were women. Of these, 30% were white, 20% African American, 25% Asian, and 13% Latina. She highlighted the Pain and Healing Clinic, which was launched in June 2011 to provide comprehensive and innovative care for residents living with chronic pain. Secondly, Dr. Riley highlighted the Respite Program, which provides six weeks of inpatient care for clients who would normally receive home care. She noted that women take advantage of this program more often than men.

 

Commissioners discussed the need for focus on more measurements of performance and outcomes of services provided by SFHN, and educating Asian Pacific Island women on the need to get tested for denser fibrous breast tissue, as they are more prone to the condition. Both Commissions agreed that screenings should be improved and that the Affordable Care Act is an important policy initiative seeking to provide comprehensive health care for a much greater number of people than before.

 

  1. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

 

  1. Reuben Goldman, mental health consumer, expressed a grievance against a DPH-funded facility, and stated that there is a violation of admission agreement in Marilyn House.
  2. Roberta Guise, Public Policy Chair of American Association of University Women - San Francisco Branch, informed both Commissions about the 69th Anniversary Celebration of the Signing of the United Nations Charter on Sunday, October 19, hosted by United Nations Association, San Francisco Branch.

 

  1. ADJOURNMENT

President Kirshner-Rodriguez adjourned the meeting in honor of Comedian Joan Rivers, Founder of KTSF Lillian Lincoln Howell, and Founder of California Women Lawyers Joanne Garvey.

Action: To adjourn the meeting.                                                                              m/s/c (Soo/Gamez/Unanimous)

 

Meeting was adjourned at 6:55 pm.