To overcome health disparities, CalOptima Health is engaging in programs and expanding partnerships to better serve members who are at greater risk for poor health outcomes, especially those experiencing homelessness. CalOptima Health is participating in the Department of Health Care Services’ Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP). This voluntary incentive program supports the delivery and coordination of health and housing services for Medi-Cal members who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

CalOptima Health is administering a funding opportunity for capital projects to increase equitable and countywide access to permanent, affordable housing. The total grant funding available is $52.3 million. Individual grant requests must be between $1 million and

$8 million. For information on the project requirements and proposal evaluation criteria and to apply, please visit CalOptima Health's application. All applications are due on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 (5 p.m. PST).

Potential grantees are invited to join one or both of the Bidder’s Conferences by registering at the links below:

• Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 9 a.m. 
• Friday, July 21, 2023, 9 a.m.

Additional materials can also be found on our CalAIM webpage. For questions, please contact Sarah Nance or Jasmine Awadallah. 

From left: Gary Taylor, CalOptima Health Manager, Program Implementation; Peter Bastone, CalOptima Health Chief Strategy Officer; Denise Zermeno, Standup for Kids Director of Mentoring and Housing Programs; Justine Palmore, Standup for Kids Executive Director; Danielle Cameron, CalOptima Health Director, Operations Management; Jasmine Awadallah, CalOptima Health Program Manager.

CalOptima Health leaders visited the StandUp for Kids team at their Costa Mesa office. StandUp for Kids was awarded an Equity Grant as part of our community investment strategy through the state’s Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP) to support the delivery and coordination of health and housing services for Medi-Cal members who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. StandUp for Kids is a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending the cycle of youth homeless in local communities. Learn more about StandUp for Kids at standupforkids.org.

On June 17, the Orange County Register published an article on CalOptima Health’s planned $49 million Community Living Center of Tustin that will provide recuperative care to Orange County older adults who are experiencing homelessness. “The shelter system is not built for [unhoused seniors]… It’s meant to serve a younger, more physically agile group of individuals,” said CalOptima Health Executive Director, Medi-Cal/CalAIM, Kelly Bruno-Nelson, adding that our new Community Living Center will be designed to serve older residents in ways traditional shelters are not. The facility will be a refuge for unhoused older adults age 55 and over, serving up to 119 seniors working towards permanent housing and up to 500 seniors in the center’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program. Learn more about the Community Living Center of Tustin in additional interviews with Bruno-Nelson by KCBS TV and KFI Radio as well as a KNX Radio broadcast on plans for the facility.  

CalOptima Health welcomes Mindy Winterswyk, PT, DPT, PCS, to our Board of Directors. Winterswyk is an American Board of Physical Therapist Specialties Board-Certified Pediatric Physical Therapist and Acting Agency Director for the Orange County Health Care Agency. Prior to that role, Dr. Winterswyk was the Division Manager and Chief of the Medical Therapy Program for the Orange County California Children’s Services (CCS) Program and worked in various roles for the County of Orange and the County of Los Angeles. Dr. Winterswyk earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a Pre-Physical Therapy concentration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. She also holds a Certificate in Leadership for Healthcare Management from UCI Paul Merage School of Business. She was appointed to the Board in June 2023.