{"id":63992,"date":"2024-04-18T13:56:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T20:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=63992"},"modified":"2024-04-18T13:56:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T20:56:39","slug":"how-medi-cal-is-being-transformed-for-one-third-of-californians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=63992","title":{"rendered":"How Medi-Cal is Being Transformed for One-Third of Californians"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_59 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_59\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/selen-ozturk\/\">Selen Ozturk<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_60 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_60\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-04-18T09:48:24-07:00\">Apr 18, 2024<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_61 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_61\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>California is on the national front lines of public health, transforming Medi-Cal to include services well beyond the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_62 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_62\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"medical doctor\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1950px) 100vw, 1950px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor.png 1950w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-1536x832.png 1536w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-150x81.png 150w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-696x377.png 696w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-1068x578.png 1068w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/medical-doctor-1920x1040.png 1920w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1950\" height=\"1056\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_63 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_63\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>California is on the national front lines of public health, transforming Medi-Cal to include services well beyond the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p>On April 11, Ethnic Media Services, California Black Media, and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) hosted a briefing featuring a DHCS official, community providers and health care workers statewide to discuss how the transformation of Medi-Cal is improving the lives of Medi-Cal members<\/p>\n<p>Speakers at this first of six briefings sponsored by DHCS shared how Medi-Cal is bridging health gaps on the ground by connecting communities to new services that go beyond the doctor\u2019s office \u2014 like housing supports, home accessibility modifications, in-home care, sobering centers, asthma remediation and medically tailored nutritious meals.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New services<\/h2>\n<p>For 15 million Californians \u2014 roughly one in three \u2014 currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, this transformation is now bringing health care where they are through Community Supports services and the Enhanced Care Management (ECM) benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Community Supports \u201ckeep people out of costly emergency rooms or institutions and support them in their homes and communities, helping them in their place of need,\u201d said Sarah Brooks, Chief Deputy Director for DHCS Health Care Programs.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"QfclLHMFJK0\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget2\" title=\"Addressing the Social Drivers of Health with Medi-Cal\u2019s Community Supports Program\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QfclLHMFJK0?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Sarah Brooks, Deputy Director for Health Care Programs, California Department of Health Care Services, explains how Medi-Cal is working to help members recover from illness, stay healthy and thrive at home.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>ECM \u201csupports Medi-Cal members with the most complex physical, mental or social needs \u2014 who often who are too sick or impaired to keep track of doctor\u2019s appointments and prescriptions \u2014 by assigning them a single lead care manager to help them navigate services like basic care, dental, mental health, substance use disorder treatment and long-term care, as well as equipment and transportation,\u201d said Brooks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are at-risk individuals, including people experiencing homelessness, foster youth, pregnant women and their children, adults at risk for long-term care institutionalization and people transitioning from nursing home care facilities back into the community,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHealth systems can be burdensome to navigate, and we\u2019re working hard to revolutionize that by simplifying and broadening how members across the state access care, helping them live more independently and safely at home \u2014 no matter where they live, what language they speak, or the complexity of their needs,\u201d Brooks added.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expanding Medi-Cal on the ground<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cFor the state to say, \u2018Everyone deserves health\u2019 is one thing, but to invest in the lives of a third of Californians is another,\u201d said Rachelle Grant, senior clinical director of Pacific Clinics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOther health plans and states aren\u2019t doing this,\u201d she added. \u201cAs the state\u2019s largest nonprofit community-based behavioral health service provider, we now have more referrals than ever in the history of our organization, including 27,000 outreaches to eligible members since the start of ECM\u201d in January 2022.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"EM35b2R1Ip4\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget4\" title=\"How Medi-Cal is Helping Enrollees Find Housing\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EM35b2R1Ip4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Rachelle Grant, Senior Clinical Director, Pacific Clinics, explains how Medi-Cal is helping people find housing through the Community Supports component of their health plans.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pacific Clinics now provides ECM and Community Supports services in 20 counties. Community Supports they offer include housing services, such as deposit and move-in loans up to $6,000, landlord and roommate facilitation, household maintenance navigators and daily skills habilitation programs \u2014 to ever-growing success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne member was unhoused and hospitalized for mental health concerns, with a history of substance abuse that required Suboxone treatment, and a traumatic brain injury that resulted in surgery,\u201d said Grant. His ECM manager found him \u201cresidential placement to work on his substance use, a therapist, a psychiatrist and transportation to his appointments. Now he\u2019s going on daily walks, playing pickleball and having positive relationships with caregivers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur street outreach team discovered another individual living in a tent who shared that he was unable to get a job due to an injury, but he also didn\u2019t qualify for disability. He called into our first day of rehabilitation Zoom classes from his tent, and learned new skills to help him find shelter,\u201d she continued. \u201cThere\u2019s no wrong door to get these services \u2014 it\u2019s about meeting people\u2019s needs where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"wSlU6_dcA5U\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget6\" title=\"Community Healthcare Workers Bring Asthma Remediation Services to Underserved Populations\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wSlU6_dcA5U?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Agnes Hajek, Director of Health Equity Services, Somali Family Services of San Diego, discusses the organization\u2019s asthma remediation program, which provides support and preventative care for asthma patients in underserved communities.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The pandemic proved that \u201ccommunity health workers who speak the language, who are trusted by the community, are the first responders for linguistically or culturally isolated people,\u201d said Agnes Hajek, director of health equity services for Somali Family Services of San Diego, which serves refugees and immigrants from several regions, including the Middle East, Haiti and north and east Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Typical of the organization\u2019s culturally tailored Medi-Cal services is its asthma remediation program in which community workers provide supplies like air purifiers, humidifiers, pillowcases, and mattress covers; inspect homes for mold; develop asthma plans in several languages; and gather support groups to address symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrowing up in South Central Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents, I\u2019ve seen firsthand the barriers our community can face when trying to access care,\u201d said Angelica Rodriguez, Program Manager of Umma Community Clinic, which serves low-income, predominantly brown and Black populations in the area.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"lkl2vBlq_0Q\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget8\" title=\"\u201cThere Are So Many Ways Our Community Members Can Fall Through the Cracks of the Healthcare System\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lkl2vBlq_0Q?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Angelica Rodriguez, Program Manager, Umma Community Clinic, discusses the many obstacles people living in South Central Los Angeles face when they need to access healthcare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere are so many ways we can fall through the cracks. Some can\u2019t afford to take time off work when health centers are open nine to five on weekdays. Others can\u2019t seek care due to language or cultural barriers, or having to take multiple buses to get to the closest clinic. Some can\u2019t afford nutritious foods to help them stay healthy,\u201d she said. \u201cNow, we can address these issues beyond the clinic walls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neglect by, and low trust in, care systems is a widespread barrier to health in rural California, said Mari Perez-Ruiz, Executive Director of Central Valley Empowerment Alliance (CVEA), serving a 40 percent Filipino and 99 percent farmworker population primarily in Tulare County.<\/p>\n<p>Geographical challenges also worsen this access barrier, as \u201cwe don\u2019t have public transportation for medical appointments. We have two buses that come when they can, one in the morning, one in the evening,\u201d she continued, adding that Medi-Cal lets CVEA bridge these access gaps by bringing care to those least reached and most in need of it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"qwOxxVZnN8c\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget10\" title=\"Lack of Healthcare is a Crisis in Rural California\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qwOxxVZnN8c?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Mari Perez-Ruiz, Executive Director\/Board Chair, Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, gives an overview of the dire need for accessible healthcare in rural California.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Through partnering with Tulare County Public Health, CVEA health workers \u201cbring these new services into rural communities,\u201d Perez-Ruiz explained. \u201cWe do street medicine with farmworkers by their houses, mobile blood pressure checks, Medi-Cal enrollment help, preventive care with children to break the cycle that leads them to feel uncomfortable going to the doctor, and connect people to shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany farmworkers don\u2019t get the health care they need because they\u2019re too busy worrying about how they\u2019re going to get their next meal on the table,\u201d said Aide Hernandez, a CVEA rural health equity organizer who implements community outreach for these services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommunity members have come in, not knowing they have a serious condition,\u201d she added, \u201cand the following day, they\u2019re diagnosed with diabetes, they have a limb removed, and they\u2019re in a very serious place because they didn\u2019t get preventive care. To be able to connect these families to this expansion of services is life-changing and life-saving.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"OixWDVyQEK0\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget12\" title=\"Bringing Healthcare to California\u2019s Farmworkers\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OixWDVyQEK0?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Aide Hernandez, Rural Health Equity Community Organizer, with Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, discusses the barriers to health care faced by California farmworkers and explains how her organization is working to bring care to farmworker communities.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySelen Ozturk Apr 18, 2024 California&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63993,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63992\/revisions\/63993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}