Report 2022-102 Recommendation 15 Responses

Report 2022-102: California Department of Public Health: It Has Missed Opportunities to Collect and Report Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data (Release Date: April 2023)

Recommendation #15 To: Public Health, Department of

To ensure that its programs are using SOGI data to identify and address disparities in health outcomes, and to provide required information to the Legislature, Public Health should require regular reports from its branches that collect SOGI data; these reports should include the branches' efforts to record and report SOGI data, the outcomes of their SOGI data analyses, and the steps they have taken to improve their services or program outcomes for underrepresented populations.

6-Month Agency Response

Public Health is considering a data collection/forms workgroup to review all data collection forms utilized and streamline data collection practices, including a periodic review whether forms are required to collect SOGI data, assessment of SOGI data collection processes, and review of program reasons for not collecting SOGI data, in accordance with departmental standards, once those standards are distributed. Public Health is in the process of deciding how to develop a reporting structure and reporting requirements for its branches to provide regular reports to the Legislature.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

Public Health is currently developing an automated system to regularly collect reports from all its programs to track progress on the objectives listed on this recommendation, including the programs' efforts to record and report SOGI data, the outcomes of their SOGI data analyses, and the steps they have taken to improve their services or program outcomes for underrepresented populations.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

We look forward to reviewing Public Health's progress towards implementing this recommendation.

All Recommendations in 2022-102

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.