Sponsored Sponsored content Why DAP Health is against Proposition 44

If Prop 44 passes, it could make it harder for community health centers like DAP Health to provide many of the services patients count on every day.

That’s why DAP Health encourages everyone eligible and registered to vote to please Vote No on Prop 44.

What is Proposition 44?

• Prop 44 is a dangerous attack on patients that will penalize clinics for investing in key patient services.
• The initiative also puts politicians between patients and their doctors by placing the state attorney general — an elected official with no health care experience — in charge of decisions about the services health clinics can provide. 

Why is DAP Health concerned?

At DAP Health, we know health care is about more than seeing a doctor. Good health also depends on having:

• A safe place to live
• Healthy food
• An easy way to get to appointments and connect with your care team
• Help understanding medical information

But Prop 44’s major legal flaws would financially penalize clinics if they spend resources on important staff and patient services. Health economists warn that Prop 44 will cut $1.7 billion from community health clinics in the first year, and billions thereafter. As a result, 88% of clinics across the state would operate at a loss.

What services could be affected?

If Prop 44 passes, DAP Health could have fewer resources for programs such as:

Housing support

• Affordable housing programs
• Emergency housing
• Rental assistance
• Housing navigation

These services help people stay healthy by helping them stay safely housed.

Food and nutrition

• Food assistance
• Nutrition support
• Grocery access programs

Nutritious food is an important part of good health.

Patient support

• Patient navigators
• Care coordinators
• Benefits enrollment help
• Referrals to specialists and community services

These team members help patients get the care they need.

Transportation

• Bus passes
• Ride-share coupons
• Gas vouchers

Without transportation, many patients can’t get to appointments to receive vital medical care.

Language services

• Translation
• Interpretation
• Easy-to-understand health information
• Appointment reminders

These services help patients understand their care and communicate with their clinicians.

Community outreach

• Mobile health services
• HIV education
• LGBTQ+ health education
• Prevention programs
• Community health workers

DAP Health brings care into neighborhoods — whether remote or not — so more people can get the services they need and deserve.

Technology

• Telehealth visits
• Patient portals
• Other digital health tools

Technology makes it easier for patients to stay connected to their health care team.

Could future projects be affected?

Absolutely! Prop 44 could penalize DAP Health for investing in projects that benefit patients, including:

• Our new OB-GYN space, the Magenta Clinic, currently being built at DAP Health Sunrise, our headquarters in Palm Springs
• Much-needed improvements to Vista Sunrise I, our 80-unit affordable housing complex for people living with HIV, built almost two decades ago on our Sunrise campus
• Our new Oceanside Sexual Wellness Clinic and Pharmacy in San Diego’s North County

All these projects help protect and expand access to care for almost 80,000 members of the diverse communities we serve.

Why does this matter?

Community health centers already follow strict federal and state rules. They’re regularly audited and must show they use their resources to support patient care. Also, these clinics are nonprofit organizations led by a board whose members include patients, requiring funds to be spent on patient care and community benefits.

Prop 44 would add another layer of rules without improving care. Instead, it could force clinics to spend less on services that help patients outside the exam room.

If community clinics must reduce services or discontinue programs, more people will end up seeking care in crowded hospital emergency rooms, resulting in longer wait times and billions of dollars in higher costs for us all. 

Our message to patients

DAP Health is proud to care for the whole person — not just the illness. Every day, we help people not only with medical and behavioral health care, but with housing, food, transportation, education, and many other services that make healthier lives possible.

That’s why we encourage every registered voter to Vote No on Prop 44. Together, we can help protect the comprehensive, compassionate care members of the diverse communities we serve deserve and depend on.

What you can do

• Learn more. Go to noprop44.com before you fill out your ballot.
• Follow the No on Prop 44 social media channels to get updated information.
• If you’re not yet registered to vote,go to registertovote.ca.gov before October 19. 
• Tell family and friends.
• Vote no!

Thanks for helping to protect access to high-quality, compassionate health care for the people who need it most.

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