SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced, in coordination with California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), a 30-day public comment period for the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) draft Strategic Plan.

The draft Strategic Plan provides community-driven strategies to reduce mental health disparities in racial, ethnic, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) communities and acts as the blue print for how CDPH will implement the $60 million dollar project.

CRDP works to improve quality of care for multicultural communities. Implementation will focus on funding and evaluating the practices identified through the development of the draft statewide plan as well as advancing the recommendations outlined in the draft Strategic Plan.

“We are excited about CRDP which is a result of polyethnic and multicultural community and stakeholder engagement,” said Jahmal Miller, Office of Health Equity deputy director. “Ultimately, the end goal for everyone involved is to improve health outcomes and quality of care within vulnerable communities through action and increased awareness.”

The draft strategic plan is a culmination of four years of grassroots engagement of five racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ populations and is representative of a community participatory approach to designing a program in partnership with diverse California stakeholders.

The plan identifies culturally appropriate strategies to improve access to services, quality of care, and mental health outcomes for the five (Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, African American, Native American and LGBTQ) CRDP target populations.

A copy of the draft plan is available on the CDPH Web site: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/StakeholdersGeneratedReports.aspx .

Stakeholders may provide feedback at five town hall meetings around the state or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. through Feb. 12.

The schedule of CPEHN-hosted town hall meetings is below:

Fresno – Jan. 26
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Fresno Downtown Business Hub
1444 Fulton St.
Register for Fresno: http://cpehn.org/event/425

Oakland – Jan. 28
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Nile Hall, Preservation Park
668 13th St.
Register for Oakland: http://cpehn.org/event/424

San Diego – Feb. 4
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Sherman Heights Community Center
2258 Island Ave.
Register for San Diego: http://cpehn.org/event/427

Los Angeles – Feb. 5
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
California Community Foundation, Joan Palevsky Center
281 South Figueroa St., Suite 100
Register for Los Angeles: http://cpehn.org/event/426

Humboldt County – Feb. 17
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Humboldt County Office of Education Annex
901 Myrtle Ave., Eureka
Register for Humboldt County: http://cpehn.org/event/428