Get the latest campus 
Welcome to the Central Valley Health Policy Institute
The Central Valley Health Policy Institute (CVHPI) was established in 2002 at California State University, Fresno to facilitate
regional research, leadership training and graduate education programs to address
emerging health policy issues that influence the health status of people living in
Central California.
Dentistry During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Dental Providers’ Perspective
As many dental providers and their staff prepare to re-open their practices, it is
essential to understand their perspective on how the COVID-19 pandemic may have a
long term impact on their practices and dentistry in general. Patients will certainly
be affected by this impact. There is a need to understand the policies that dental
providers would support that aim to ensure patients would be able to receive safe
and affordable dental care after the COVID-19 pandemic. This report presents findings
of a survey that the Central Valley Health Policy Institute sent to dental providers
nationwide. As a timely response to the pandemic, this work aims to understand the
dental providers’ perspective on how dentistry is and will be impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic and to know their suggested policy recommendations to support the dental
community.
Click here to read the full report
Click here to read the one-pager
Oral Health Literacy
The American Dental Association (ADA) defines oral health literacy as the degree to
which individuals
have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and
services needed to make appropriate oral health decisions. To address low oral health
literacy level, CVHPI prepared an oral health training suitable for Community Health
Workers (CHWs) and Promotores. The training was delivered to 50 Community Health Workers
(CHWs) who work with underserved communities. The training aimed to empower the CHWs
with the knowledge needed about oral health and its related connection to general
health across the life span. The main goal was to improve their oral health literacy and
subsequently the communities they serve. A training evaluation was concluded in a
detailed report.
Click here to read the full report
Click here to read the one-pager
Unequal Neighborhoods: Fresno
August 2018 -- While Fresno is ranked among the poorest in many regards, many have perceived
this be the overall plagues of the city: low air quality, little green space, poor
health, low education and poverty. Decades of policies and neglect have created these
conditions, but not for all. While some neighborhoods experienced neglect, other neighborhoods
had opportunities created for them through forward-thinking vision and policies.
Click here to view the project
Oral Health One-Pager: Lessons Learned from Evidence-Based Research to Strategic Communication
May 2018 -- Oral health discourse has gained strength in the media and advocacy space recently resulting in a multitude of messages. The Central Valley Health Policy Institute and
the Latino Health Coalition (LCHC) partnered to analyze oral health access issues
and collaboratively crafted a series of strategic messages. This one-pager “Lessons
Learned from Evidence Based Research to Strategic Communication” lays out how this
partnership was fostered and shares examples of communication pieces for four audiences:
the public, advocates, providers and decision-makers.
Click here to view the one-pager
Fair Housing Data Conference,Telling the Whole Fair Housing Story: Using Data to Overcome Obstacles of Opportunities
December 2017 -- This paper highlights the issues and data discussed at the December 4th 2017 Fair
Housing Conference hosted by the Central Valley Health Policy Institute.
Click here to read the full report
Oral Health Barriers for California's San Joaquin Valley Underserved and Vulnerable Populations
October 2017 -- Oral health is recognized as an essential part of an individual’s overall health.
The aim of this project is to understand how California’s San Joaquin Valley residents
think about, feel about, and experience oral health services. This report presents
findings from 659 surveys measuring healthy and unhealthy oral health knowledge, oral
health needs and barriers. Surveys were collected at clinic and non-clinic sites
throughout the San Joaquin Valley, an area characterized by its large Latino and immigrant
populations, as well as its low levels of education and high levels of poverty. The
results indicate disparities by ethnicity and language, insurance coverage, and education.
Click here to read the full report
Community Benefits Needs Assessment in South Fresno
August 2017 -- In this report, the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State share
the findings of focused group interviews with residents of south Fresno neighborhoods.
Based on these data, the report describes a number of potentially cost-effective,
patient-centered and culturally responsive community benefit investments to further
the health of Fresno residents.
Community Benefits Needs Assessment in South Fresno Report (PDF)
Executive Summary in English (PDF)
Executive Summary in Spanish (PDF)
San Joaquin Valley Public Health Consortium: Report Series
African American Infant Mortality in Fresno County
January 2016 -- Much higher rates of infant mortality and other adverse birth outcomes have been
noted for African Americans compared to whites nationwide and locally, even as overall
rates of infant mortality have declined for many years. In response to a persistent
increase in infant mortality among African Americans over the last few years, First
5 Fresno County and Fresno State’s Central Valley Health Policy Institute (CVHPI)
conducted a mixed method assessment, between January 2015 and July 2015.
African American Infant Mortality in Fresno County (PDF)
African American Infant Mortality in Fresno County: Executive Summary (PDF)
A Fair and Healthy Fresno: Community Voices on the 2035 General Plan Update
Click here to read the full report (PDF)
Valley Health Snapshot: Fresno
Race/Ethnicity, Poverty and Health in Fresno’s Neighborhoods
Winter 2014 -- As the Central Valley’s largest city, Fresno is situated in the heart of California.
Fresno is a regional hub for a thriving agricultural economy and other valuable industries.
The city is powered by a diverse population, ranging from long-time residents to recent
immigrants. Many waves of immigrants and refugees have settled in Fresno, bringing
more than 100 spoken languages to the city.
While Fresno’s neighborhoods reflect this diversity, there are also dramatic socio-economic and health disparities across the city and surrounding communities. Depending on residential location, city residents face broad differences in living conditions and quality of life.
Valley Health Snapshot: Fresno Winter 2014 (PDF)
Operational and Statutory Capacity of Local Health Departments in the San Joaquin Valley
Operational and Statutory Capacity of Local Health Departments in the San Joaquin Valley – Released October 28, 2013
Despite having some of the state’s highest levels of poverty and poor health outcomes,
the San Joaquin Valley receives less public health funding from state and federal
sources than other California counties with similar populations according to a new
report from the San Joaquin Valley Public Health Consortium.
This report is the first to compare the operational capacity of local health departments
in eight Valley counties to their peers in California.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: A 2010 Profile of Health Status in the San Joaquin Valley
Healthy People 2010 – A 2010 Profile of Health Status in the San Joaquin Valley culminates a decade of
biannual reports which document the severity of the Valley’s health crises. Following
national objectives, established in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, the report tracks health indicator progress in eight valley counties. Findings
show that over the last 10 years, there was little to no improvement on key indicators.
The reports also demonstrate the range of successful policies and programs that have
been piloted around the region during this time. For the most part, however, these
initiatives have been tested on a small scale, in isolated communities, and without
the broad public engagement needed for coordinated county-wide or regional impact.
The report recommends that Fresno and the region adopt a new strategy focused on primary
prevention and improving quality of life in under-resourced urban and rural communities.
Click here for full 2010 report
Click here for project overview
Place Matters for Health in the San Joaquin Valley: Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All
Place matters for health, and it may be more important than access to health care and health-related behaviors.
The Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State and Joint Center for Political
and Economic Studies released a report Wednesday, Feb. 29, comprehensively analyzing
links between social, economic and environmental conditions and health in the region.
The study examines the relationships between place, race and ethnicity, and health
in the San Joaquin Valley of California and attempts to address two specific questions
raised by the San Joaquin Valley Place Matters researchers:
- What is the relationship between social factors and premature mortality?
- What is the relationship between social factors and exposure to environmental hazards?
The report demonstrates that neighborhood conditions and the quality of public schools, housing conditions, access to medical care and healthy foods, levels of violence, availability of exercise options, exposure to environmental degradation can powerfully predict who is healthy, who is sick, and who lives longer. And because of patterns of residential segregation, these differences are the fundamental causes of health inequities among different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. This study examined the relationship between social conditions, environmental factors, and health outcomes in the context of the unique demographic characteristics of the area.