Tag Archives: Covered California

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications Present the William Randolph Hearst Award to Sara Sidner

Sara Sidner, CNN National and International Correspondent, was honored by the faculty and students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC) with the prestigious William Randolph Hearst Award for excellence in professional journalism on October 13, 2015.

William Randolph Hearst Award Medal.

William Randolph Hearst Award Medal.

Sara Sidner Sidner was describing the scene in and around Moammar Gadhafi's seized compound.

Sara Sidner Sidner was describing the scene in and around Moammar Gadhafi’s seized compound.

Sara Sidner reporting live on television.

Sara Sidner reporting live on television.

As a national and global news reporter, Sidner has reported on a wide range of subjects from international terrorism, race riots and protests in America, to business moves, and social and cultural issues making headlines. She has experienced first-hand the dangers journalists face in war torn regions including Libya, Egypt, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. In the Middle East, Sidner was part of the CNN team that won the top broadcast news honor, the Peabody Award, for CNN’s coverage of the Arab Spring. She’s also covered major breaking news in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

Sara Sidner reporting live about Syria.

Sara Sidner reporting live about Syria.

Sara Sidner, CNN Correspondent.

Sara Sidner, CNN Correspondent.

Now based in Los Angeles, California for CNN Sidner just returned from covering the tragic community college shooting incident in Oregon this fall. She also led and continues to follow up on the network’s coverage in Ferguson, Missouri where protests continued for months after an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer. While reporting on live television during the weeks of rioting, Sidner was pelted in the head by a rock thrown by a protester angry about national media coverage. At one time, Sidner was also a local reporter and news anchor for KTVU Channel 2 in the Bay Area.

Sara Sidner speaks with JMC students.

Sara Sidner speaks with JMC students.

JMC round table discussion with Sara Sidner.

JMC round table discussion with Sara Sidner.

JMC faculty invited Sidner to speak to as many students and classes as possible while on campus, and discuss in candid terms the real world challenges journalists face every day around the nation and across the world. She started her day by joining a small group of JMC students in the Dwight Bentel Hall television studio for a round table discussion about issues that interested them. She later visited three large lecture classes with a focus on media and society, law and ethics in media, and diversity and life experiences reported in the media. Students were amazed by Sidner’s warm personality, free flowing candor and passion for journalism.

Hearst Award Luncheon for Sara Sidner at Flames Eatery in San José, California.

Hearst Award Luncheon for Sara Sidner at Flames Eatery in San José, California.

JMC faculty takes a group photo with Sara Sidner during the Hearst Award Luncheon at Flames Eatery in San José, California.

JMC faculty hosted the annual Hearst Award Foundation luncheon at Flames Restaurant. Campus officials and many of Sidner’s local media friends and former co-workers were invited to join the celebration. Among the guests in attendance were Dr. Mary Schutten, Dean, College of Applied Sciences and Arts (CASA); Dr. Pamela Richardson, Associate Dean, CASA; Sonia Wright, CASA Development Director; Dr. Dennis Wilcox, former JMC School Director; Sal Pizarro, JMC School graduate. Columnist for the San Jose Mercury News included Rita Williams, Retired Bay Area KTVU 2 Reporter; Lloyd La Cuesta, JMC School graduate and Retired KTVU 2 South Bay Bureau Chief; Rigo Chacon, Retired ABC 7 South Bay Bureau Chief; Kiet Do and Devin Fehely, KPIX 5 Reporters; Egan Schulz, JMC School graduate and Silicon Valley media executive; Keith Sanders, SJSU Video Producer/Hearst Event Video Production.

JMC students having a question and answer discussion about Sara Sidner's career.

JMC students having a question and answer discussion about Sara Sidner’s career.

Sara Sidner leading a discussion with JMC students about journalism.

Sara Sidner leading a discussion with JMC students about journalism.

Before the later afternoon Hearst Award ceremony, Sara Sider led some heartfelt discussions with journalism students in the convergence newsroom in Dwight Bentel Hall. Later she would tell JMC School Director, Professor Bob Rucker that the students in all the classes did their research very well, learned as much as they could about her career in advance, and asked very impressive questions.

Sara Sidner and the William Randolph Hearst Award.

Sara Sidner and the William Randolph Hearst Award.

Sara Sidner giving speech during the award ceremony.

Sara Sidner giving speech during the award ceremony.

Attendees listening to Sara Sidner's presentation during the award ceremony.

Attendees listening to Sara Sidner’s presentation during the award ceremony.

This very special day concluded with the William Randolph Hearst Award ceremony at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.​ Nearly 150 people attended the 90 minute presentation that included a powerful address by Sidner. At one point the guest of honor welled up with tears and paused as she was telling how painful it can be telling the personal stories of people devastated by wars, natural disasters and political corruption.

Sara Sidner gathers with guests after the award ceremony.

Sara Sidner gathers with guests after the award ceremony.

Sidner and her husband Tim stayed late to shake hands and thank all who came to hear her speak at San José State University. She promised to come back, and plans to stay in touch with the JMC School. She invited students looking for a mentor about careers in journalism to contact her.

Photos included are from CNN, Google, JMC School student Randy Vazquez, and JMC School director, Bob Rucker.

Get answers to questions on affordable healthcare

San José State University’s California State University Health Insurance Education Project coordinators will be busy on campus at the start of the semester offering support to students, faculty and staff who have questions about Covered California during the open enrollment period that ends Feb. 15.

The student coordinators will host three open enrollment support days – on Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Clark Hall Fishbowl rooms. For more information on the support days, email sjsu@csuhiep.com or for a full list of events at CSU campuses statewide, visit www.csuhiep.com/enroll/.

Anji Buckner, a health science professor in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, has been working closely with the state coordinators on the CSU HIEP project and oversees the student coordinators on campus. At SJSU, there are two student coordinators this semester who are working to decrease the number of students on campus who are still uninsured, which they estimate at 10 percent (not including new transfer students.)

Covered California is the state’s implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act that has expanded Medicaid to more low-income families, including adults without children. Covered California also includes a healthcare exchange for those who have incomes above the threshold for Medi-Cal (the state’s implementation of Medicaid) that provides financial assistance to cover the cost of premiums based on income and family size. In 2014, part of the ACA that went into effect requires all U.S. citizens to have some form of health insurance.

The CSU Health Insurance Education Project was started in 2013 to assist CSU students in learning about the new insurance options, with funding from a grant from Covered California. Last year, the program was anticipated to reduce the number of uninsured students on the 15 largest CSU campuses by 60 percent. In Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, CSU HIEP coordinators hosted informational sessions on campus, visited classrooms to talk directly with students and offered enrollment assistance during the open enrollment period.

A spring 2014 poll of seven of the campuses that had CSU HIEP student coordinators on campus found that a third of students on the campus reported that they had signed up for some type of health insurance, either through Covered California or Medi-Cal. Another third reported that at least one family member had signed up for health insurance. The poll found the number one reason students cited for not having insurance was that it was not affordable, but the poll also found that some students remained uninsured because “they did not know enough about insurance or how to get it.”

Get open enrollment assistance at SJSU:  Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Clark Hall Fishbowl rooms. For more information on the support days, email sjsu@csuhiep.com or for a full list of events at CSU campuses statewide, visit www.csuhiep.com/enroll/.

HIEP ramps up efforts before Covered California enrollment closes

The CSU Health Insurance Education Project team at San José State University is launching one last effort to enroll SJSU students, employees and their families in Covered California before the enrollment period for 2014 officially closes on March 31.

As part of the effort, the director of the CSU HIEP program and chair of the department of public health at CSU Los Angeles, visited SJSU to talk to a health policy course at SJSU on March 4. Dr. Walter Zelman has overseen the HIEP efforts statewide and has a long history with healthcare reform since he worked as an advisor during the Clinton administration.

According to the statewide project director, the teams’ efforts had more than 850,000 “outreach moments” and more than 20,000 educational efforts throughout the state since starting the project last fall on 15 CSU campuses.

“For the student body at San Jose State or any CSU, it’s hard to argue that there aren’t enormous benefits,” Zelman said, noting that one major change with healthcare reform is that people without children can now qualify for Medi-Cal.

Another benefit to students is that some who do not qualify for Medi-Cal due to the income level may receive financial assistance through the Covered California program and students can also stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26.

In the fall, Health Science Professor Anji Buckner and a team of MPH students from the Health Science and Recreation department in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts did a massive outreach on campus to increase awareness of healthcare reform as well as the options available through Covered California.

Now the efforts are turning to helping students and others on campus complete the enrollment process. At San José State University, enrollment assistance will be available on Tuesday afternoons, with potential for more counselors later in March.

“They have so much to benefit,” Zelman said. “They know they need insurance. They know they can get hurt or sick, but it was unaffordable.”

In a poll conducted of 800 students enrolled at SJSU, CSULA and CSU Fresno, only seven percent of students surveyed said they did not think they needed health insurance while only 2 percent said they didn’t want health insurance.

Of those surveyed, 80 percent reported that they did not have health insurance because they could not afford it. According to the report from CSU HIEP, it is estimated that 35-40 percent of CSU students and their families are now eligible for Medi-Cal, which is free to most who qualify for it. Another 30-40 percent are expected to be eligible for financial assistance to help cover the cost of a Covered California plan. On the Covered California health insurance exchange, California residents can select from a variety of insurance companies, depending on where they reside. There are different plan levels with varying degrees of coverage, though all meet the minimum requirements of what needs to be covered based on healthcare reform laws. The plans have different premiums, deductibles and copays so individuals can find a plan that is best for them.

Those interested in finding out more about plans through Covered California can use the shop and compare tool at www.CoveredCA.com to get an estimate of plan costs and options, including deductibles and monthly copays.

To watch a video and to view webinars, visit www.calstate.edu/coveredca.

San José State University students, employees and their family members can find out more about upcoming events and how to make an appointment with an enrollment counselor at: www.sjsu.edu/hiep

 

ACA outreach begins on campus next week

San Jose State University’s Health Insurance Education Project team will host their first question and answer information sessions next week. The sessions are open to students, faculty, staff and their families. It will be a chance to ask questions about the Affordable Care Act and for those in attendance to find out if they qualify for free or low-cost health insurance.

View the flier below:

Affordable Care Act Q&A Sessions-Oct 2013-SJSU CSU HIEP

The local effort is part of statewide effort through California State University to reach uninsured college students, campus staff members and their families about the options with the new California health exchange, Covered California.

The local sessions will be held in Engineering 189 on the following dates/times:

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 11-1:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 3:10-3:40 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 3:45-4:15 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 1:45-2:15 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2:20-2:50 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6:30-7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7:05 p.m. – 7:35 p.m.

The team will be announcing future sessions and is also looking into streaming some of the events for those who can’t make it in person.

The meetings are being hosted by the SJSU HIEP team, which is also available to meet in classrooms or at campus events through March 2014, during the open enrollment period for Covered California. The eight sessions next week are being sponsored by the CSU Health Insurance Education Project, the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, Cal State Student Association, the Health Science and Recreation Department, the School of Social Work, the Accessible Education Center and Student Health Center.

For more information on SJSU HIEP, email sjsuhiep@gmail.com, visit www.calstate.edu/coveredca, or follow at www.twitter.com/sjsuhiep or www.facebook.com/sjsuhiep

Get clarity on national healthcare

Since open enrollment started in October for Covered California, the health insurance exchange that was created for the state as part of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, many people are still confused about what it all means for them.

A Health Science & Recreation faculty member and two masters of public health students are on a mission to change provide some clarity. Anji Buckner and her students are in charge of the San Jose State University Health Insurance Education Program. They will be available from now until March 31, 2014 to provide outreach and education to students, their families and part-time employees who may benefit from the new health insurance exchange. They are already taking requests for presentations in classes or at group meetings. They’ve tailored the talk to 5, 10 or 15-minute presentations to meet the needs of busy students, faculty and staff.

The group is just one of many in the state who are working to educate college students on health insurance options, as college students are the largest uninsured population in the state.

Where to go if you have questions about Covered California or the CSU HIEP?   
1. Learn more about Covered California online at www.coveredca.com
2. CSU HIEP: www.calstate.edu/coveredca
3. Stay up to date with campus events: Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/sjsuhiep, follow us on Twitter @sjsuhiep (www.twitter.com/sjsuhiep), and add yourself to the SJSU HIEP email listserv http://goo.gl/qvKEaK
4. Email the SJSU HIEP Campus Coordinators & Certified Covered California Educators Keri Simmons and Van Nguyen at sjsuhiep@gmail.com.
5. Contact the Northern California HIEP faculty supervisor Anji Buckner at anji.buckner@sjsu.edu.

Download a flyer below:

SJSU CSU Health Insurance Education Project STUDENT Outreach Flyer