OUR PROGRAMS

• Minority Nursing Education Support Program
• Strategic Planning for the Orange County Immunization Registry
• Health Insurance for Children

Thanks to private foundation grants, contributions from hospitals and concerned individuals and organizations, together with federal Area Health Education Center (AHEC) funds, the Council has passed through more than half a million dollars to nursing educators, schools, universities, colleges and community clinics where student nurses receive hands-on training, often while serving patients from their own culture, in their own language.

Thanks to a new grant from the California Wellness Foundation, the Council is now launching a new Revolving Mini-Loan Program. This initiative is intended to provide loans up to $1000 for minority student nurses who encounter unanticipated financial difficulties that threaten to derail their educational progress. It is intended to prevent drop-outs and to assist students from deprived backgrounds who otherwise would have difficulty in achieving their potential, .to successfully complete nursing education programs

While other sources of student loans generally require much time and paperwork, the Council intends to respond immediately to requests for financial assistance, since often timing is more important than the actual amount of the loan. Later, when additional funds are available, the limit of $1000 may be raised. All that is required for a student to obtain a loan is for the nursing educator who best knows the student to write a letter informing us of the student’s progress and potential, and a letter from the student, stating the need and asking for the loan.

Students will be asked to make a commitment to complete their nursing education, and to pay back the loan when they begin earning, so that others may benefit. If you know a nursing student from an under-represented minority who is facing financial difficulties, help us to reduce the barriers to successful completion of his or her nursing education. Please contact the Health Care Council

The Health Care Council of Orange County received a grant from the Children and Families Commission of Orange County for the development of a strategic plan for the implementation of the regional immunization registry in Orange County. The Health Care Council, in collaboration with the Orange County Immunization Coalition convened a blue ribbon advisory board to develop a strategic plan to secure the support of the medical community who serve children, including community clinics, physicians, hospitals and other health care providers. The goal of the plan is for all providers who immunize children to participate in the Los Angeles-Orange Immunization Network (LINK) regional immunization registry.

The Health Care Council of Orange County in partnership with Orange County Immunization Coalition will recruit major healthcare networks to serve on the blue ribbon advisory board for the development of the strategic plan. Healthcare networks shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Orange County Immunization Coalition
• California Chapter 4 American Academy of Pediatrics
• Orange County Medical Association
• PacifiCare Foundation
• Orange County Healthcare Agency
• Institute for Healthcare Advancement
• Orange County Coalition of Community Clinics
• CalOptima
• Orange County Department of Education
• Hospital Association of Southern California.

Links:

Orange County Immunization Coalition (OCIC):

http://www.ochealthinfo.com/mcah/ocic/

L.A.-Orange Immunization

http://www.immunizela.org/

The Health Care Council continues to reach out to Orange County families with uninsured children, and to refer them to Healthy Families, Children’s MediCal and California Kids, although this outreach program is now almost completely out of funds.