CIN,

As Southern California copes with destructive wildfires, our hearts go out to the hundreds of thousands of residents experiencing this tragedy. We know that many in the CIN community are directly impacted and we thank those who are able to provide tangible support during this time of crisis and throughout the recovery efforts.

We want to mention that we were pleased with the interest we received for the upcoming cycle of CIN. Thanks to all who participated in the recruitment effort and submitted applications to become partner organizations! We look forward to sharing updates about the new cycle in the spring. 

Meanwhile check out the fresh takes and resources below, including a new CIN publication on how internal equity efforts impact health equity goals of those being served and an upcoming CIN webinar on advancing behavioral health equity.

In support,

The California Improvement Network Team 

NEW!

Going Beyond ROI to Create Cultures of Equity: How Internal DEIB Impacts Community Health Outcomes

Health care leaders are asked to demonstrate how internal organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) investments impact community health equity outcomes. To answer this question, CIN conducted a comprehensive environmental scan of academic literature, expert knowledge, and case studies of health care organizations.

The environmental scan showed that there is a notable shift from assessing impact of DEIB programs with narrow profit-driven ROI metrics toward recognizing that anti-racist organizations create broader cultures of health equity.

In this new CIN article, we illuminate three strategic insights to help health leaders and teams build a shared understanding and develop cultures of equity.

CIN Webinar – Advancing Equity in Behavioral Health Through Harnessing Key Change Levers

Thursday, February 13, 12:00 – 1:00 PM Pacific

Cultivating Outcomes through Equity in Behavioral Telehealth (COE-BT) was a learning collaborative facilitated by California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS) that helped specialty behavioral health providers improve meaningful outcomes for individuals from communities with historic behavioral health inequities by increasing their access to high-quality and effective behavioral telehealth and hybrid practices. 

In this CIN webinar, participants will learn how the implementation of equity-grounded behavioral health coaching is essential for building a foundation for effective community partnerships in behavioral health care; how effective community partnerships can be cultivated by bridging the gap between behavioral health care providers and community members; and how shifting behavioral health outcomes focus to recovery-oriented measures all contribute to advancing health equity.

This webinar is intended for providers, patient navigators and other patient support staff, allied health care providers, and community and social service organizational leaders working in behavioral health care settings. Please join the conversation with our speakers:

• Ebony Chambers, owner and CEO of Healing Grace Studios
• Jennifer Clancy, VP of strategic and equity initiatives at CIBHS
• Kelita Gardner, ED of operations at Second Baptist Church of Santa Ana
• Samantha Spangler, owner and CEO at Behavioral Health Data Project

Building Processes to Improve SDOH Data Capture, Coding, and Referrals

Webinar recording now available

Evidence shows that ethnicity, sexual orientation, and social determinants, such as access to housing and healthy food, are all important factors for health outcomes. How can health centers effectively capture the social complexity of their patients through standardized data collection and connect patients to resources after a need is identified?

In this CIN webinar recording, speakers from the FQHC Bay Area Community Health (BACH) and from the Community Health Center Network, a CIN partner organization and the health consortium in which BACH is a member health center, discuss how to improve social determinants of health (SDOH) data capture at their clinical sites through z-code usage and referral integration with FindHelp.

This discussion is intended for providers, patient navigators and other patient support staff, allied health care providers, and health care leaders working in community health care settings.

Strengthening Foundations

Applications Now Open for the Managing to Leading Program

Applications due Friday, March 7

Sponsored by Cedars-Sinai and administered by Healthforce Center at UCSF, Managing to Leading (M2L) is a transformative leadership program for mid-career clinicians and administrative staff at community clinics in Los Angeles. The yearlong program equips participants with the knowledge, resilience, skills, and confidence to effectively lead change within organizations and improve health care delivery across the Los Angeles safety-net field.

See all the program details, including eligibility, requirements, and program elements, and please spread the word about this outstanding opportunity!

Advancing Health Equity

CalAIM Experiences: Implementer Views After Year Three

The California Health Care Foundation has released its second survey of CalAIM implementers, with nearly 1,000 respondents sharing perspectives on how the initiative is progressing, where it can be improved, and plans are for the year ahead.

While implementers as a group agree CalAIM still has plenty of room for improvement — only 8% of implementers say current payment rates are covering the cost of services, while 79% say rates are not covering costs — a majority (53%) report it has made the “overall experience of care” better for the people they serve.

Evolving Roles and Care Models

Apply for PATH CITED Funding to Support Your Organization’s Participation in Medi-Cal

The PATH CITED initiative provides funding to build the capacity and infrastructure for Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports. This funding supports the successful partnerships required for whole-person health under Medi-Cal. It helps partners, including community-based organizations (CBO), medical providers, local government agencies, FQHCs, Tribes, and others, to successfully participate in Medi-Cal. 

Webinars will help funding applicants in the run up to the deadline on March 7, 2025.