CalOptima Community Announcement

Updates and

Announcements

September 22, 2021

In This Issue

COVID-19 Updates

Vaccinated Orange County Residents Reaches 70%

State of California's Eviction Moratorium to End

COVID-19 Hot Topic from The University of California, Irvine —Booster Shots

Community News

2021 NCQA Health Plan Ratings Name CalOptima Among the Top Medi-Cal Plans in California

CalOptima Honors National Hispanic Heritage Month

Orange County Public Libraries Return to Regular Hours

Virtual Conference Shares Resources for Older Adults in Orange County

Disaster Preparedness Month

Online Classes and Groups for Older Adults

Heart Healthy and Snack Healthy Workshop

Happy Mixed Race Ethnic Family Walking In The Park Wearing Medical Face Mask.

This issue highlights the percentage of Orange County residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, the end of the State of California’s eviction moratorium and a COVID-19 Hot Topic from The University of California, Irvine focusing on booster shots.

Also learn about CalOptima being rated among the top Medi-Cal plans in California by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), CalOptima honoring National Hispanic Heritage month, Orange County Public Libraries return to regular hours, virtual conference sharing resources for older adults in Orange County, disaster preparedness month, online classes and groups for older adults and the Heart Healthy and Snack Healthy Workshop.

COVID-19 Updates

Vaccinated Orange County Residents Reaches 70%

Collage of portraits of an ethnically diverse and mixed age group of people showing their shoulders with band-aids on after getting a vaccine.

The OC Health Care Agency continues to encourage vaccinations among unvaccinated Orange County residents as the percentage of eligible residents who are fully vaccinated nears 70%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID Data Tracker reports that 69.8% of eligible OC residents are now fully vaccinated, with 79.3% having received at least one dose of vaccine as of September 14. Click here to read the full press release.

State of California Eviction Moratorium to End

The State of California’s statewide eviction moratorium is set to end September 30. The moratorium was placed in effect to protect tenants that were economically impacted by COVID-19. For rent and utility resources for renters, landlords and homeowners, visit the State's Housing Is Key website by clicking here.

COVID-19 Hot Topic from The University of California, Irvine – Booster Shots

CalOptima partners with UCI for regular contributions to the Community Announcements. The contributions are from UCI infectious disease experts and are about COVID-19 hot topics.

This week’s article addresses booster shots. Click here to read the article.

Community News

2021 NCQA Health Plan Ratings Name CalOptima Among Top

Medi-Cal Plans in California

For the seventh year in a row, CalOptima has earned recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for leadership in quality, rating CalOptima as one of the top Medi-Cal health plans in California.

CalOptima received a rating of 4 out of 5 — no other Medi-Cal plan in the state earned a higher rating. NCQA ratings are based on standardized, audited data regarding clinical performance and member satisfaction.

CalOptima’s seven-year record of outstanding quality is based on a commitment to provide members with access to the best care possible. Further, the NCQA rating affirms the agency’s performance during the difficult pandemic health care emergency of the past 18 months. Thank you to Orange County providers for your partnership with delivering quality care!

CalOptima Honors National Hispanic Heritage Month

In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, CalOptima honors and celebrates the cultural heritage of all Hispanic and Latinx people. CalOptima is proud to serve more than 374,000 members of Hispanic descent throughout Orange County, including more than 202,000 members who speak Spanish and prefer communication from CalOptima in their language. For a summary of membership data click here.

Orange County Public Libraries Return to Regular Hours

The Orange County Public Libraries (OCPL) return to regular service hours on September 24. For a full list of hours, visit the OCPL website. For questions, please contact any branch during service hours; a list of the branch email address is here. Access the flyer here.

Virtual Conference Shares Resources for Older Adults in Orange County

Older adults and those who support them are invited to attend Turning Silver Into Gold — a virtual conference on September 24 from 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. presented by various Orange County community-based organizations and agencies.

The conference will cover CalOptima's OneCare Connect program and other services available in Orange County to help older adults live an independent and full life. There will be four featured speakers:

• Maddy Dychtwald, Co-founder of Age Wage, on the future of aging

• Tom Blake, Author and Columnist, on mature romance

• EvaMarie Rodriguez-Morris, Emeritus Institute, on programs and classes for older adults

• Aimee Aul, Parks and Recreation Educator, Fullerton Community Center, on art at home

To register, click here.

Disaster Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month. Build a supply kit before a disaster hits. Kits should have enough supplies to last at least 3 days. Download the Orange County Fire Authority’s disaster supply kit checklist by clicking here.

Online Classes and Groups for Older Adults

To help reduce social isolation among older adults and bridge the digital divide, anyone age 60 or over living in Orange County can access a variety of classes. Click here to learn more and click here for the learning channel.

Heart Healthy and Snack Healthy Workshop

Join the OC Health Care Agency for a virtual workshop to learn about the risks of heart disease and choosing tasty snacks that are good for your heart on Wednesday, September 29 from 5:30–6:30 p.m. The workshop will be presented in Spanish with English translation. Click here to access the flyer for more information. Click here to register.

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, seven 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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