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- Written by: Editor
AB 367 will require all public schools serving students in grades 6 to 12, Community Colleges, & California State Universities to stock restrooms with an adequate supply of free menstrual products, commencing in the 2022-23 school year.
“Our biology doesn’t always send an advanced warning when we’re about to start menstruating, which often means we need to stop whatever we’re doing and deal with a period. Often periods arrive at inconvenient times. They can surprise us during an important midterm, while playing with our children at a park, sitting in a lobby waiting to interview for a job, shopping at the grocery store, or even standing on the Assembly Floor presenting an important piece of legislation. Having convenient and free access to these products means our period won’t prevent us from being productive members of society, and would alleviate the anxiety of trying to find a product when out in public,” said Assembly member Garcia.
During Assembly member Garcia’s tenure in the California State legislature, as the self-proclaimed Period Princess, she has been and continues to be a vocal champion and advocate of period dignity policies.
In 2017, the Assembly member successfully passed and had legislation signed into law to ensure low-income schools in disadvantaged communities provide students with free menstrual products.
In addition, Assembly member Garcia led the successful effort to permanently eliminate the tax charged on menstrual health products in AB 150 (2021, Chapter 82) of the 2021-22 State Budget Act.
This effort started an international movement to rectify the discriminatory taxation of menstrual products, which cost Californians born with a uterus over $20 million annually.
Garcia is committed to continue the fight to ensure that having a uterus is no longer stigmatized by misunderstanding, bias, or fear.
AB 367 was inspired by the trail blazing actions of Scotland, where Parliament adopted The Period Products (Free Provision) on Nov. 24, 2020. Scotland’s new law declared access to menstrual products as a human right and requires all designated public places to provide menstrual products free of charge to anyone who needs them.
“Last year, Scotland showed the world this pioneering policy can be passed, with bipartisan support, and become law. I propose we build upon California’s prior menstrual equity laws by declaring that access to menstrual products is a human right and expand access. Just as toilet paper and paper towels are provided in virtually every public bathrooms, so should menstrual products. It is time we recognize and respond to the biology of half the population by prioritizing free access to menstrual products, and eliminating all barriers to them,” said Garcia.
Numerous groups pledged its support of the bill and praised Garcia’s effort to bring attention to the topic of menstrual equity.
“We’re proud that California has taken this step to advance menstrual equity by bringing AB 367 into fruition. By providing direct access to free menstrual products in public schools, we are ensuring more equal access to education and encouraging all students to reach their fullest potential. CASC is grateful to be a part of this progress and we thank Assemblymember Garcia for championing this effort and making it possible for #MenstrualEquityforAll,” said Catherine Xu, California Association of Student Councils.
“Passing AB 367 prioritizes the health and dignity of thousands of California students and recognizes access to menstrual products as a basic need. By removing this significant barrier for young people, we are one step closer to realizing true equal access to education for all students, regardless of gender, race, or economic status,” said Ariana Rodriguez, policy counsel, ACLU of Southern California.
“The signing of AB 367 is a win for students and families statewide. We're immensely proud of the role high school and college women in IGNITE played in championing menstrual equity for all,” said Sara Guillermo, CEO, IGNITE.
"Across our communities, girls and gender-expansive youth lack access to the means to manage their menstrual health with dignity. This is a groundbreaking win made all the more vital because of the pandemic, and will ensure that everyone who does get a period has the right to affordable, accessible, and safe period products,” said Emma Mayerson, founding executive director of Alliance for Girls.
"With the help of legislators, AB 367 was initiated and lobbied by youth activists, who are the leaders of the menstrual movement. California represents the largest state population of menstruators in the country, and the fifth largest economy in the world. California joins a growing number of states who lead the way in demonstrating that menstrual equity is a matter of human rights. This policy will move us all closer to eliminating period poverty and period stigma in our lifetime. It’s feasible and possible. PERIOD. is proud to stand with California to change thousands of lives for the better. By providing menstrual products in schools, California will help ensure its students have equal access to education and are empowered to reach their full potential, irrespective of their gender or economic status,” said Michela Bedard, PERIOD; Executive Director and Damaris Pereda, PERIOD. National grams Director.
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Monday’s executive order extends the previous order’s provisions relaxing certain state privacy and security laws for medical providers, which were set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021, through the end of the state of emergency or until the original order is rescinded or modified.
These expanded protections for medical providers are similar to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights waiver regarding federal privacy and security laws.
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The workgroup provided its confirmation to the governors of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington on Friday.
The workgroup recommended the following groups of people who received the Pfizer vaccine should receive a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine after six months:
— People 65 and older;
— People living in a long-term care facility; and
— People 50-64 with underlying medical conditions.
In addition, the workgroup recommended that the following groups of people ages 18 to 64 who received the Pfizer vaccine may also receive a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine after six months:
— People with underlying medical conditions; and
— People who are at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission due to occupational or institutional setting.
The workgroup strongly endorsed the CDC’s recognition that long-standing health and social inequities have increased the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and recommended that social determinants of vulnerability be included in the assessment of medical conditions that qualify individuals for booster doses.
Because unvaccinated individuals remain at much higher risk of COVID-19 than vaccinated individuals, the Workgroup also reiterated that its members strongly support vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone 12 years of age and older.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 65 and older and those that are at higher risk for COVID-19, and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices affirmed that decision on Thursday.
On Thursday, the CDC also recommended people at higher risk due to occupational or institutional setting also be eligible for Pfizer booster doses. The Workgroup reviewed and affirmed the federal decisions in meetings Thursday evening and Friday morning.
Recognizing that only Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have been authorized for booster doses, the Workgroup implored the FDA and CDC to quickly find solutions to sustain the protection of the most vulnerable individuals who have received a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.
The workgroup also applauded the donation of COVID-19 vaccines to nations in need and called for an expansion of those efforts to protect the global community, save lives, and prevent the emergence of new COVID-19 variants.
Washington, Oregon, and Nevada joined California’s COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup in October.
The workgroup, made up of nationally-acclaimed scientists with expertise in immunization and public health, has concurrently and independently reviewed the FDA’s actions related to COVID-19 vaccines. It will continue to evaluate other COVID-19 vaccines as they go through the federal process.
"Vaccines are how we end this pandemic. With today’s Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommendation, California is ready to go on day one to begin administering Pfizer-BioNTech boosters to eligible Californians, in addition to our continued work in reaching those who remain unvaccinated to protect communities. Vaccines save lives, and boosters are a critical next step towards better protecting Californians from COVID-19,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
"COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and vaccination continues to be our path out of this pandemic. Seniors who have received the Pfizer vaccine, as well as Oregonians who have underlying health conditions, live in long-term care facilities, or who are at higher risk due to occupational or institutional setting will now be able to receive the additional layer of protection provided by a booster shot,” said Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon. “Everyone eligible who wants a booster will get one, and I'm committed to ensuring our most vulnerable Oregonians are protected from COVID-19, including those who are at higher risk due to systemic health and social inequities. I’d like to thank Oregonians for their patience as boosters become available while our hospitals and health care workers continue to respond to the ongoing Delta surge."
“Again, I offer my thanks to my fellow governors and the members of the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The group was able to come together quickly for a robust discussion of the recommendations related to the Pfizer vaccine that will increase protection for our vulnerable residents and work to end this pandemic. The inclusion and recognition that health disparities exist in our communities is a vital addition to the federal recommendations and I hope this independent review gives Nevadans confidence in the process. Every vaccination moves us one step closer to recovery and our State team and vaccinating providers stand ready to implement the latest guidance,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada.
“Vaccines work and I am pleased that the Western State Group is taking this step in endorsing boosters for those who are most vulnerable. We need to protect Washingtonians most at risk for severe COVID illness. Providing boosters will help keep our residents safe and allow us to have an added layer of protection as cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise in our state. I am pleased that we are focusing on all of those at the greatest risk, including those who face inequities in our system. Together, vaccinations will get us out of the COVID pandemic,” said
Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington.
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- Written by: Partnership HealthPlan of California
Dr. Marshall Kubota, regional medical director at Partnership HealthPlan of California, or PHC, is reminding women of the importance of taking care of themselves by having a screening mammogram, as recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.
“Early detection of breast cancer by getting a mammogram can save your life,” Kubota says. “Schedule yours today.”
The guidelines recommend that all women between the ages of 50 and 74 have a screening mammogram once every two years. For PHC members, there is no charge for this exam.
PHC, which administers Medi-Cal benefits for more than 590,000 members across 14 counties in Northern California, is encouraging mammograms via its Well-Woman Birthday Club program, which gives women who complete their mammogram a $30 gift card.
Through the birthday club, members eligible for mammogram screenings get a birthday card from Partnership, the month prior to their birthday, as a reminder to make appointments for yearly preventive exams, including a screening mammogram.
The card lists instructions on how to schedule a mammogram and informs members of the $30 gift card.
PHC has teamed up with primary care providers and all imaging sites in Lake and Mendocino counties to make scheduling a screening mammogram easy.
Dr. Jerry Douglas, chief medical officer with Mendocino Community Health Centers, reminds women, “Don’t put off preventive care for you or your family. Now is a great time to catch up on needed care.”
For questions about the program, members should contact their primary care provider or PHC’s Population Health Department at 855-798-8764.
Partnership HealthPlan of California is a nonprofit community-based health care organization that contracts with the state to administer Medi-Cal benefits. PHC provides quality care to over 600,000 Medi-Cal members.