The warning came in a joint statement by health officials from Alameda, San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties, and the City of Berkeley. The County Board of Supervisors in each of these health jurisdictions, and Berkeley City Council, all have voted to oppose Proposition 54.

“Proposition 54’s ban on collecting racial data would have a disastrous impact on health research and treatment, “ said Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Tony Iton, “particularly in public health, where our renewed efforts to confront the root causes of disease would be dealt a stunning blow.”

The health officials noted that, despite Ward Connerly’s claim of a “medical exemption,” Proposition 54 would hamper the ability of public health departments to collect health data and design effective programs. Currently, race/ethnicity data are used to:

• Track and prevent diseases
  California has one of the most racially diverse populations in the country. Data on race help health officials design immunization, HIV/AIDS, prenatal and other prevention and educational campaigns for specific populations.
  S.F. example: African Americans in San Francisco have the highest mortality rate for breast cancer, while a somewhat higher prevalence was found in Latino and Chinese women. The San Francisco Public Health Department’s Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Services office has a team of four Women’s Care Navigators who are able to speak Cantonese and Spanish, and work to educate women on the need for preventive care and cancer screening. Without understanding the demographics of the communities impacted by cancer, it would be impossible to know where and how to conduct effective outreach in these communities.
  
  
• Research the distribution and causes of disease
  Public health research in the United States shows that race may be associated with increased exposure, different susceptibility to disease, and unequal access to care. Understanding these issues requires an examination of race as a factor in the relationship between the environment and health.
  S.F. example: The Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP) neighborhood in San Francisco has been burdened with an unhealthful environment, poverty, and racial discrimination. BVHP has a majority African American population with substantial minorities of Asian and Latino residents. For several years, S.F. Dept. of Public Health (SFDPH) has worked with this community to understand the causes and consequences of poor health in the neighborhood. Creating effective programs depends on understanding the racial demographics and ensuring cultural and linguistic competency. Dialogue, research and analysis have created actions and policies that have improved BVHP. SFDPH has participated with community groups to provide education and training on housing habitability, created a Health and Environmental Resource Center, and negotiated with the city transit agency to provide the lowest emissions buses to the neighborhood.
  
  
• Understand and eliminate differences in health among racial groups, and develop strategies to address these disparities
  Racial disparities exist and strategies are needed to address them.
  Alameda County example: In 1990, struck by the vastly disproportionate infant death rate among African-Americans in Alameda County, Alameda County Public Health initiated the Black Infant Health Program. This program is designed to reduce Black infant deaths by performing home visits, offering parenting workshops, and providing other medical and social support during pregnancy. In the last five years of this program, there have been no infant deaths in this high-risk population. The passage of Proposition 54 would destroy this program and threaten the astounding success that this and other targeted public health programs have recently achieved in reducing health disparities.
  
  
• Save money
  Without data on race, health departments will be forced to use less effective and more expensive “one-size-fits-all” methods for outreach and education, rather than messages tailored for each community.
  Santa Clara County example: Culture-specific targeted outreach to the Indian, Vietnamese, Filipino and Mexican immigrant communities in Santa Clara lowered the incidence of tuberculosis, a communicable disease that affects us all. These were the most afflicted communities. Such targeted outreach could not occur if Prop 54 passes because no statistical breakdown based on public health statistics or vital records (birth and death certificates) would be legal. Rather than limiting the ability to collect and use race/ethnicity data, health officials noted that such data should be expanded and improved to better understand the health status and practices of California’s diverse population.

“As medical practitioners and health care professionals we are alarmed,” said Dr. Vicki Alexander of the Berkeley Public Health Division, “at the harm that this dangerous measure may do to the health of our patients and their children.

“Proposition 54 is bad medicine for the people of California,” she concluded.