Last year, SEIU-UHW launched “Let’s Get Healthy, California,” a big and bold campaign whose aim is to improve the quality of healthcare in California, lower costs, create good healthcare jobs and dramatically reduce the number of people who suffer from chronic health conditions.

We knew when we set out that what we were attempting to achieve was going to be tough, but that if we were successful, we would have fundamentally changed the healthcare system in California–for workers, for patients, and for communities– for the better.

This week, we took two giant steps forward on the road to a healthier California by creating valuable partnerships that will help make our vision a reality.

This morning, Diana Dooley, the head of California’s Department of Health and Human Services, joined us at our Executive Board meeting to announce that the Governor has issued an Executive Order that makes our “Let’s Get Healthy, California” campaign the policy of the state. Our vision for a healthier California is one that the Governor and his administration believe in, and they are now working with us to move that vision forward.

Our second giant step forward is a landmark agreement with the hospital industry that will allow us to work together on our joint priorities, namely reducing the levels of chronic disease; advocating for quality care and lower costs; changing how the healthcare system is funded; and developing high-road labor relations that will pave the way for thousands of healthcare workers to join a union.

Working together with hospitals and with the State of California, we know we will be able to create the California that we have envisioned: a healthier one where everyone can access the care they need.

Check out this video clip of Secretary Dooley announcing the Executive Order: