Santa Barbara, CA – October 2, 2018
– A 1983 experiment in health care in Santa
Barbara County gave birth to a health plan recognized by
The Ford Foundation and Harvard
University for its innovation and efficiency. That plan
– originally called the Santa Barbara Health Initiative
– is now known as CenCal Health, the
first local-control Medicaid program of its kind in the nation.
ORANGE, California. (September 24, 2018) — For the fifth year in a row, CalOptima is California’s top-rated Medi-Cal plan, according to the NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2018–2019. The NCQA ratings are based on standardized health care quality and customer satisfaction data.
CAMARILLO, Calif., September 7, 2018 – Gold
Coast Health Plan (GCHP) today announced its partnership with
California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI) to train
nursing students.
Starting in the spring semester, five nurses from GCHP’s Health
Services Department will work with as many as seven nursing
students from the school to introduce them to the world of
Medi-Cal managed care.
(French Camp, CA) – Health Plan of San Joaquin continues to encourage future Central Valley doctors, nurses and pharmacists. With its Health Careers Scholarships (HCS) program, HPSJ this year supports up to six local schools and programs, including San Joaquin Medical Society’s DECISION MEDICINE. To date, over HPSJ 170 scholarships have been awarded to deserving students in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
(French Camp, CA) – The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded Health Plan of San Joaquin its three-year reaccreditation in the category of Medicaid HMO. NCQA is one of the most comprehensive evaluations in the health insurance industry.
HPSJ Chief Medical Officer Lakshmi Dhanvanthari, MD, said: “Health Plans accredited by NCQA demonstrate their ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality care… NCQA is very member focused and this reaccreditation reaffirms the company wide dedication to serve our members and the community.”
Los Angeles – L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly-operated health plan in the country, held a “white coat” ceremony today to announce the eight students receiving full medical school scholarships of up to $350,000 through the plan’s Elevating the Safety Net initiative, which also launched today.
San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP), a community managed care health
plan serving over 140,000 San Francisco residents,
announced today that it has launched a new benefit “Health Homes
for Patients with Complex Needs”. San Francisco
County is the first county in California to launch
this innovative new Health Homes benefit allowing for fully
coordinated care for eligible Medi-Cal members with chronic
conditions.
1: What is relatively unique about Medi-Cal managed care compared
to Medicaid programs elsewhere in the country?
Brianna Lierman: California is the nation’s
most populous state and has the nation’s highest poverty rate
when considering the high cost of living, so it follows that we
also have the largest Medicaid program (“Medi-Cal”) with nearly
14 million Californians enrolled. Over 80% are enrolled in the
state’s organized managed care delivery system while the rest are
in traditional fee-for-service, which is on par with other
states.
Presented by SurfMedia Communications, a Santa Barbara-based PR
and marketing firm, some 60 nonprofit leaders from across the
tri-counties joined forces at the Narrative Loft in Santa Barbara
June 27 for an opportunity to reflect on recent challenges and
plan for the future of their organizations.
International speaker, trainer and author Tai Sunnanon led the
discussion at the event. Sunnanon commented on the abundance of
leadership expertise in the room, and commended nonprofit leaders
in the region for their resiliency and adaptability in the wake
of recent disasters.
Meals That Connect hosted their 11th annual “Night of a Million Meals” event recently to raise money to feed San Luis Obispo County seniors. Thanks to a $100,000 matching funds offer from CenCal Health, the event raised close to $250,000.
Veteran nonprofit health care manager Amy Shin was looking for a
leadership position in 2013, and Health Plan of San Joaquin
(HPSJ) seemed to offer the right fit. After years of working in
senior roles at respected Bay Area managed care organizations,
here was a CEO job not too far from her Oakland home.
Community Action Commission (CAC) recently honored those who’ve
helped improve the lives of children, youth, families and seniors
in Santa Barbara County. The 13th annual Champions event, held at
Hotel Corque in Solvang, recognized:
Fran Forman – As the recently retired executive
director of Community Action Commission, Forman has worked on
behalf of children, teens, families and seniors to promote their
education, job skills, physical/emotional well-being, and
economic security in an effort to stabilize their lives.
CenCal Health, the healthcare provider for nearly 180,000
Central Coast residents, marked its 10th anniversary
operating in San Luis Obispo County with an evening of
celebration and community recognition on March 28.
FRENCH CAMP—It’s been five years since Amy Shin became the CEO of
Health Plan of San Joaquin, a not-for-profit health plan that
helps low-income residents secure high-quality health care. In
that time, Shin has worked tirelessly with HPSJ staff to increase
membership, provide health education to the public and even
combat illiteracy. Though there is a long way to go, Shin
believes the organization is moving in the right direction.
Gun violence in this country is an epidemic, and it needs to be
treated like every other epidemic, as a public health crisis. The
first step to finding a “cure” for any public health crisis is
research. The new spending bill signed into law on March 23
included one sentence saying the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) has the authority to research gun violence. But
with no funding attached, it’s meaningless.
It is the honor of my life to be able to say – In May, I
celebrate my 5th anniversary at HPSJ!
I have had the privilege to be part of and help lead amazing,
innovating organizations during my career. But none has
so completely woven together, as Health Plan of San
Joaquin, my personal passions, organizational mission, and
the overwhelming sense of community commitment.
The health-care battlefield is burning brighter than ever. Eight
years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
conservatives think that the ACA is an overreach of government
authority and should be repealed. Progressives, on the other
hand, believe that the ACA should be replaced by a single-payer
system operated with public funds, guaranteeing universal
coverage for all citizens.
More than 70 attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed,
but the groundbreaking legislation is still facing death by a
thousand cuts, and it’s clear we cannot depend on Washington to
fix what ails the health care system. The health care industry
must step up and develop reforms that will ensure the most
vulnerable continue to have access to quality care.
