The San Diego Association of Nonprofits (SANDAN) held its inaugural conference Thursday, an event organizers hope to make annual.
The morning events consisted of two panels, both with speakers representing various subcategories within nonprofits: arts and culture, human services, education, environment, community, foundations, housing and health.
“I hope participants left with a renewed energy and passion for what they are doing, and a better understanding of the diversity and breadth of the nonprofit,” said Walter Philips, chair of SANDAN.
While Philips believes the mix of speakers was adequate, he hopes participant attendance in subsequent years will reflect of greater diversity of nonprofit categories.
"Now that we have the speakers, we hope to actually have people from those different sectors at our next conference become more involved,” he said.
Keynote speaker Ruth Liu, associate secretary of health care reform for the California Health and Human Services, spoke on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed health care reforms, including three pillars -- preventative health care, a mandatory coverage initiative and affordability.
Under the reform, Californians would receive reductions in their premium by exemplifying disease prevention. For example, a smoker entering a smoking cessation program would receive a discount.
Schwarzenegger would also make health insurance mandatory for all residents, enabling low-income Californians to apply for subsidies. The reforms would ensure shared responsibility for coverage within the system.
To ensure affordability, explained Liu, the reforms would eliminate the “hidden tax” on premiums.
“Everybody that has insurance today is paying something extra in their premium, because of all the people who are uninsured,” she said.
Liu explained that the proposed reforms affected nonprofits both as employers providing health care to employees, and as caregivers in the community.
“I think a lot of the nonprofits serve a lot of the underserved,” said Liu. “They would be able to direct some of their clients (to health care resources), whether they came in for housing or for other things.”
Two achievement awards were handed out during the event. Vista Hill, a home for those with developmental disabilities and suffering from substance abuse; and Home of Guiding Hands, also serving children and adults with developmental disabilities in East County, both received accolades for their many years of service in the community.
Incorporated in 1998, SANDAN consists of 30 organizations.
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