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Updates and
Announcements
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CalOptima Names New Chief Medical Officer |
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Effective February 7, 2022, CalOptima welcomed Richard T. Pitts, D.O., Ph.D, as the agency’s new Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Pitts is familiar with CalOptima from years of medical leadership at Prospect Medical Systems, one of the agency’s contracted health networks. Previously, he helped lead St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Orange County, and trained physicians for more than 20 years at UC Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Pitts also served on the California Industrial Medical Council and California State Licensing Board.
For a full list of CalOptima’s leadership, click here. |
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CalOptima Seeks Candidates for Its Investment Advisory Committee |
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CalOptima encourages experienced finance professionals to apply for an opening on the agency’s Investment Advisory Committee (IAC). Established by the CalOptima Board of Directors in 1996, the IAC oversees CalOptima’s investment policies, portfolio, strategies and more. The IAC seeks applicants with experience in:
- Banking
- Brokering and sales
- Financial management
- Accounting
The IAC meets quarterly, and service is voluntary and without compensation. Learn more and apply here. |
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CME and CE Workshop on Addiction Medicine 101: A Primer for the Non-Addiction Specialist |
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Join CalOptima for “Addiction Medicine 101: A Primer for the Non-Addiction Specialist,” a virtual CME and CE workshop on March 2 from 12–1:30 p.m. The workshop offers 1.5 CME and CE credits. Click here to learn more about the course. |
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CalOptima hosted a virtual InfoSeries on California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) on January 26 for more than 470 attendees. Community-based organizations and providers learned more about CalAIM and were updated on the launch and referral opportunities for clients. The recording can be found here, and additional CalAIM information can be found here. |
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CalOptima Launches Mobile Mammography Clinics to Increase Access to Preventive Screenings |
CalOptima and Alinea Medical Imaging are partnering to host mobile mammography clinics in February and April for CalOptima Community Network members ages 50–74. They will help make breast cancer screenings available to members who are less likely to get them due to cultural or ethnic disparities, such as Chinese and Korean members, two populations with a low breast cancer screening incidence, according to CalOptima’s 2021 Population Needs Assessment.
CalOptima requests members make an appointment for the clinics, though walk-ins will be accepted based on availability. Call Alinea Medical Imaging at 1-877-426-3926, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., or sign up online for a clinic using the links below:
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The Orange County Health Care Agency makes it easy for individuals to get a COVID-19 vaccine. There are several ways to find an appointment. Click here for the various options. |
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CalOptima COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics for Kids and the Community |
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Children ages 5–11 accompanied by a parent/guardian and unvaccinated community members of all ages are invited to attend upcoming CalOptima vaccine clinics from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on the following dates:
- Saturday, February 19 — Second Baptist Church, 4300 Westminster Ave., Santa Ana (focused on African American members and the community at large)
- 2nd Saturday of March and April (3/12 and 4/9) — Building 95 (MPR 100) 15751 Gothard St, Huntington Beach
- 3rd Saturday of March and April (3/19 and 4/16) — St. Anthony Claret Catholic Church, 1450 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim
- 4th Saturday of March and April (3/26 and 4/23) — OC Social Services Agency Central Regional Office, 2020 W. Walnut St., Santa Ana
CalOptima will be on-site to check CalOptima Medi-Cal eligibility, give $25 Member Health Rewards to eligible members and host a resource table. The vaccine event flyer for February's event focused on the African American members can be found here. The flyer that lists all events can be found here.
The County of Orange Social Services Agency will be on-site to provide CalFresh and
Medi-Cal enrollment.
Register at 1-714-834-2000 or www.othena.com. CalOptima Medi-Cal members can arrange transportation at 1-888-587-8088. |
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COVID-19 Self-Test Results |
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Federal Government Begins Offering Free N95 Masks |
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Over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, also known as self-tests, allow individuals to conveniently learn their COVID-19 status. Positive results from self-tests not performed under lab or health care oversight do not need to be reported to public health agencies. Individuals that test positive should isolate at home according to the Orange County Health Order & CDC guidelines. To learn more about self-tests, click here. |
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Free N95 masks are expected to be available at select pharmacies and community health centers participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Select pharmacies are expected to participate in the new mask distribution program. For a full list of pharmacy and supermarket pharmacy chains, click here. Each adult will be able to pick up 3 free masks. Only adult-size masks will be available at this time; high-quality, smaller-size masks for children will be made available in the near future. |
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COVID-19 Hot Topics from UCI |
CalOptima partners with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) for regular contributions to the Community Announcements. The contributions are COVID-19 hot topics from UCI infectious disease experts.
This week’s articles address booster shots and COVID-19. Click here to read about these hot topics. |
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Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Youth is an 8-hour training course designed to help adults assist youth who may be experiencing a mental health challenge, substance use and/or undergoing a mental health crisis. The free certification virtual training will be divided into two days on February 15 and February 22 from 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. To register please contact Esteban Juarez at Esteban.juarez@hoag.org. |
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How to Contact CalOptima During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
CalOptima Customer Service remains ready to respond to member needs as we adhere to guidelines to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 transmission. Our building is closed to visitors. Members can call Customer Service from the safety of their home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have staff who speak their language. Members can also visit www.caloptima.org and access their member portal. |
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CalOptima, A Public Agency www.caloptima.org
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