CIN Community, 

We are thrilled to be welcoming in our 19 health care organizations and 6 community-based organizations for the upcoming two-year cycle March 2025 – March 2027! Our priority areas for this upcoming cycle of CIN will center on:

• Leading change and fostering resilience: The foundations for all improvement efforts 
• Improving care to achieve equity: Identifying and using resources to address health disparities and achieve California’s Bold Goals 
• Partnering to support whole-person care: Building strong organizations and partnerships to support best practices for the provision and coordination of physical health, behavioral health, and social services 

Stay tuned as we look forward to announcing and welcoming our new partner organizations in our next newsletter in April. 

For now, check out these new resources and exciting updates from a few of our current partner organizations including the launch of a new primary care payment model demonstration project and an upcoming training on nonviolent crisis intervention for community clinics. 

In support, 

The California Improvement Network Team  

Advancing Equity in Behavioral Health Through Harnessing Key Change Levers

Webinar Recording now available

Cultivating Outcomes through Equity in Behavioral Telehealth (COE-BT) was a learning collaborative in 2022-2023 that helped specialty behavioral health providers – including county agencies, community-based providers, and federally qualified health centers – improve outcomes for individuals from communities experiencing historic behavioral health inequities by increasing their access to high-quality and effective behavioral telehealth and hybrid practices.

The California Improvement Network (CIN) hosted a webinar featuring speakers from COE-BT who discussed how implementation of equity-grounded behavioral health coaching is essential for building a foundation for effective community partnerships in behavioral health care; how bridging the gap between behavioral health care providers and community members is key to building effective behavioral health partnerships; and how shifting behavioral health outcomes focus to recovery-oriented measures advances health equity.

California Health Plan Leaders Unite to Launch New Payment Model Demonstration Project to Fortify Primary Care.

CIN partner organization Health Net in partnership with Blue Shield of California and Aetna have united to co-implement a new shared value-based payment model under the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative’s Payment Model Demonstration Project.



These California health plans are moving beyond payer alignment and taking a step further by fully implementing, coordinating, financing and operationalizing a single payment model. This streamlined approach significantly reduces the administrative burden on clinical practices, allowing them to focus more on care delivery.

Strengthening Foundations

Training: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^®  

The Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, a CIN partner organization, will be hosting a two day in-person training June 11- June 12 to teach clinic staff de-escalation techniques and intervention strategies for workplace violence prevention. The workshop includes independent self-paced content, lecture, and situation-based guided practice with certified instructors.

Evolving Roles and Care

Upcoming Webinar: AI in Action: Practical Applications for Safety Net Providers  

The Center for Care Innovations and the Health AI Partnership are hosting a monthly Zoom webinar series dedicated to exploring research and implementation of AI based solutions that address the unique challenges and opportunities within Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and safety net healthcare organizations, promoting equitable access and improved patient outcomes. 

The next webinar on April 3 will focus on empowering safety net health organizations to harness AI for better patient outcomes, improved care provider experience and operational excellence. 

Midwives Speak: Integration Challenges in California’s Health System

Research shows that midwives deliver high-quality clinical outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction. However, midwives in California, especially licensed midwives, are often restricted from practicing to the full extent of their license or expertise and frequently experience challenging relationships with hospitals, physicians, and health plans.

To better understand the midwife workforce, the University of California, San Francisco, with funding from the California Health Care Foundation, conducted the Survey of California Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives and the Survey of California Licensed Midwives from July 18, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

Findings indicated that midwives are particularly effective in community-based settings, where they provide care that is culturally sensitive and respectful, reducing the likelihood of mistreatment and improving birth outcomes.

Advancing Health Equity

Improving Health and Reducing Homelessness through Cross-Sector Partnerships: Insights from California

Webinar Recording Now Available

In December 2024 the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) hosted a webinar on behalf of Partnerships for Action: California Health Care & Homelessness Learning Collaborative. This webinar spotlighted the experiences of two pilot teams that brought together health care and homeless services partners to better serve people experiencing homelessness. The panel discussion included pilot team members and national experts highlighting key takeaways on cross-sector collaboration and shared practical insights on sustaining partnerships to support individuals who are unhoused.