(a) The State Department of Public Health Office of Health Equity shall do all of the following:

(1) Perform strategic planning to develop departmentwide plans for implementation of goals and objectives to close the gaps in health status and access to care among the state’s diverse racial and ethnic communities, women, persons with disabilities, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) communities.

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(2) Conduct departmental policy analysis on specific issues related to multicultural health.

(3) Coordinate projects funded by the state that are related to improving the effectiveness of services to ethnic and racial communities, women, and the LGBTQQ communities.

(4) Identify the unnecessary duplication of services and future service needs.

(5) Communicate and disseminate information and perform a liaison function within the department and to providers of health, social, educational, and support services to racial and ethnic communities, women, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQQ communities. The department shall consult regularly with representatives from diverse racial and ethnic communities, women, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQQ communities, including health providers, advocates, and consumers.

(6) Perform internal staff training, an internal assessment of cultural competency, and training of health care professionals to ensure more linguistically and culturally competent care.

(7) Serve as a resource for ensuring that programs collect and keep data and information regarding ethnic and racial health statistics, including those statistics described in reports released by Healthy People 2020, and information based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, strategies and programs that address multicultural health issues, including, but not limited to, infant and maternal mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), child and adult immunization, osteoporosis, menopause, and full reproductive health, asthma, unintentional and intentional injury, and obesity, as well as issues that impact the health of racial and ethnic communities, women, and the LGBTQQ communities, including substance abuse, mental health, housing, teenage pregnancy, environmental disparities, immigrant and migrant health, and health insurance and delivery systems.

(8) Encourage innovative responses by public and private entities that are attempting to address multicultural health issues.

(9) Provide technical assistance to counties, other public entities, and private entities seeking to obtain funds for initiatives in multicultural health, including identification of funding sources and assistance with writing grants.

(b) Notwithstanding § 10231.5 of the Government Code, the State Department of Public Health shall biennially prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the status of the activities required by this chapter. This report shall be included in the report required under paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 131019.5.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 23, Sec. 14. (AB 1467) Effective June 27, 2012.)