LCHC Launches Latine and Indigenous Master Plan for Health Equity, Calling on California Leaders to Transform Health Systems
Unveiled at LCHC’s 2026 Health Policy Summit, the community-driven Master Plan offers a bold, multi-year policy roadmap to guide California’s next Governor and Legislature in advancing health equity and building a healthier, more prosperous future for all Californians.
SACRAMENTO, CA — The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), in partnership with its Regional Power Hub Network, launched the Latine and Indigenous Master Plan for Health Equity at its 2026 Health Policy Summit, California en Comunidad, unveiling a community-driven policy roadmap to help shape the future of health in California. Grounded in community priorities, research, and cross-sector collaboration, the Master Plan outlines a proactive, multi-year vision to address persistent health inequities, strengthen California’s healthcare and social safety net systems, and advance transformative policies that improve the health and well-being of Latine and Indigenous communities and all Californians.
The launch convened community leaders, researchers, policy advocates, philanthropic partners, and decision-makers from across California to build a shared vision for the state’s future and strengthen the partnerships necessary to turn community priorities into meaningful policy action. As California approaches a transition in state leadership, the summit underscored an opportunity to move beyond responding to immediate challenges and toward shaping the systems, policies, and investments needed for lasting health equity.
“This moment calls for bold and courageous leadership. California must reject the politics of scarcity and embrace a bold vision for its future. Investing in the health and well-being of Latine and Indigenous communities is not simply a necessity; it is an investment in California’s economy. We must be willing to reimagine our healthcare systems and advance transformative policies that reflect the needs, aspirations, and potential of our communities,” said Dr. Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “This summit brought us together to turn community wisdom into collective action. Our Master Plan calls on California’s next Governor and Legislature to build resilient systems that protect our communities regardless of shifts in federal leadership and strengthen a safety net rooted in human dignity. When we build systems that work for those facing the greatest barriers, we build systems that work better for everyone. Together, we can move beyond survival toward health justice and a California where every person has the opportunity to thrive.”
With a new Governor and Legislature set to take office in 2027, LCHC and its statewide partners are not waiting for the next administration to define California’s health equity agenda. Instead, they are bringing forward a community-informed roadmap to help shape it. The Master Plan offers a timely opportunity to influence California’s next chapter of policymaking, providing concrete pathways for legislative, budgetary, administrative, and executive action. Its recommendations call on state leaders to protect hard-won progress while advancing the structural reforms and sustainable investments necessary to achieve lasting health equity.
“From rural and agricultural communities to urban neighborhoods, our organizations bring the experiences and priorities of people too often left out of decisions about their health. The pandemic exposed the consequences of those exclusions, especially for the women farmworkers we serve, who faced tremendous loss with limited access to healthcare and wage replacement. Each organization contributed its granito de arena—its grain of sand—to shape this Master Plan. Together, we have created a roadmap grounded in lived experience that gives our communities a shared agenda to organize around and a tool to hold decision-makers accountable.” – Irene De Barraicua, Director of Policy and Communications, Líderes Campesinas
More than a policy document, the Master Plan is a living roadmap for collective action, guiding advocacy, strengthening statewide partnerships, and informing policy priorities in the years ahead. It reflects a commitment to ensuring that communities most impacted by health inequities are not only represented in policy discussions but are central to shaping California’s future.
“For so long, Indigenous people have been marginalized, discriminated against and kept in the shadows. Today we have a seat at the table, and our voices are being acknowledged regarding health policy. This report is one of the first of its kind to highlight the inequities that Latino and Indigenous communities have experienced in California. The master plan is the result of collaboration and community building, and it includes proactive solutions. We should see this as a helpful roadmap for our advocacy. ” Orlando Leon, Manager of Community Affairs, Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO)
“The [Master] Plan’s many priorities, particularly around mental health, housing stability, and economic opportunity, align closely with the work we do at My Sister’s House. We look forward to using the findings to inform and strengthen our advocacy for policies that support survivors and underserved communities. We appreciate the leadership of LCHC and look forward to continuing our partnership.” – Christine Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer, My Sister’s House
“For too long, communities most impacted by health inequities have been left out of the decisions that shape their lives. This Master Plan takes a different approach, recognizing community knowledge as essential to developing meaningful policy solutions. Through the Regional Power Hubs Network, we are connecting the experiences and priorities of communities across California to a shared vision for lasting change.” – America Bracho, CEO, Latino Health Access
“At La Familia Counseling Center, we believe health equity starts with listening to our communities and making sure their voices are heard. We are proud to support this effort toward a healthier and more equitable future for Latine and Indigenous communities.” – Mayda Arce Moreno, Program Director, La Familia Counseling Center
Read the Latine and Indigenous Master Plan for Health Equity here.
About the Latine and Indigenous Master Plan for Health Equity
Developed over two years through research, community expertise, and cross-sector collaboration, the Latine and Indigenous Master Plan for Health Equity reflects an iterative process of identifying community priorities and translating them into policy solutions. Through LCHC’s Regional Power Hubs Network, which brings together 16 community-rooted organizations across California, partners reviewed research findings, elevated regional priorities, and helped shape policy recommendations grounded in the lived experiences of Latine and Indigenous communities.
The Master Plan examines the interconnected factors that shape health, including healthcare access, workforce representation, mental and behavioral health, food security, housing, education, environmental conditions, and other social determinants of health. Its recommendations emphasize coordinated policies, sustainable public investments, and systems that reflect the realities of California’s diverse communities.
Designed to inform California’s next chapter of policymaking, the Master Plan provides a foundation for advocacy, coalition building, and engagement with the incoming Governor and Legislature, advancing a shared vision of a California where health equity is embedded in the systems, policies, and investments that shape the well-being of all communities.
A media kit, including photographs from the summit, is available here.
About the Latine Coalition for a Healthy California
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC) is the leading statewide policy organization with a specific emphasis on Latine & Indigenous health. For over 34 years, we have worked on transforming systems to achieve health justice. We pride ourselves on translating community solutions into equitable policy and lasting systemic change. Our work focuses on legislative and administrative advocacy, people power, and narrative change.
About the LCHC Regional Power Hubs Network
Three years ago, LCHC set out to build a stronger, more connected statewide health equity infrastructure by bringing together trusted, community-rooted Latine and Indigenous organizations and leaders across California. That vision became the Latine and Indigenous Regional Power Hubs Network (RPHN), which today brings together 16 nonprofit and grassroots organizations serving communities across 11 regions of the state. The RPHN formalizes and strengthens these connections, creating an enduring statewide infrastructure for collaboration, shared learning, and collective action.
The network is designed to meet both the urgent and the visionary: creating a trusted, rapid-response system that can mobilize around emerging threats, acute community needs, and opportunities for statewide advocacy, while also building the space and collective capacity for proactive, long-term planning, policy development, and shared strategy. By connecting organizations and leaders across regions, the RPHN strengthens our collective ability to elevate community priorities, coordinate statewide action, shape policy and resource allocation, and advance a shared vision for the health and well-being of Latine and Indigenous communities across California.
Media Contact:
Robert Nuñez
(805)815-7730
rnunez@lchc.org
###
