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CalOptima Health News
CalOptima Health Is a Top Medi-Cal Plan in California
Full-Scope Medi-Cal Expansion for Ages 26 to 49
Chief Equity Officer Joins CalOptima Health
Street Medicine Support Center Approved by Board
CalOptima Health Implements Doula Benefit
Friendship Shelter Receives $3.8 Million
New Experience Feedback Program Launched
Leader an LA Times OC Visionary
Board Seat Opens for Member Representative
Oasis Senior Center Lunch and Learn
Community News
Orange County Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) is Now Accepting Applications
OC's Older Adults Needs Assessment Survey
Webinar on DSA, EPT Grants
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CalOptima Health Is a Top Medi-Cal Plan in California | | |
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CalOptima Health is pleased to announce its rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars in the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Medicaid Health Plan Ratings 2023. This is the ninth year in a row that CalOptima Health is among the top plans in the state, representing sustained leadership in serving its Medi-Cal insured members. CalOptima Health provides health insurance to about 980,000 individuals, which represents nearly 1 in 3 Orange County residents.
“CalOptima Health is committed to serving members with dignity and respect through its broad network of physicians, hospitals and health care providers,” said Michael Hunn, CEO of CalOptima Health. “We don’t work alone, and we thank our caregiver partners and community clinic providers for their ongoing dedication to quality care.”
This latest NCQA rating measured performance in 2022 and is based on standardized, audited data regarding clinical performance and member satisfaction. NCQA assesses Medicaid plan quality based on 45 clinical measures, including preventive services to keep members healthy and treatments in response to illnesses and chronic diseases. NCQA also evaluates a plan based on customer satisfaction.
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Full-Scope Medi-Cal Expansion for Adults Ages 26 Through 49 | |
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Beginning January 1, 2024, a new law in California will allow adults ages 26 through 49 to qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal, regardless of immigration status. Full-scope Medi-Cal covers more than just care if you have a medical emergency. It provides medical, dental and vision care. It also covers alcohol and drug use treatment, prescription medicine your doctor orders, and more. To check eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal, call the County of Orange Social Services Agency at 1-800-281-9799.
Please note that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services don’t consider receipt of health, food, and housing benefits as part of the public charge determination. Therefore, using Medi-Cal benefits (except for residential nursing home or mental health institution care) will not hurt an individual's immigration status.
Help members who could be eligible for full-scope benefits in January keep their Medi-Cal by sharing up-to-date messages about the Medi-Cal renewal process from CalOptima Health’s communications toolkit for community use. The toolkit includes information and resources about the renewal process you can share with members and community stakeholders through your communication channels and social media pages.
| Chief Equity Officer Joins CalOptima Health | |
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CalOptima Health welcomes Michaell Silva Rose, DrPH, LCSW, as Chief Equity Officer, a role that is a new requirement by the Department of Health Care Services for all public plans in California. Dr. Rose will ensure all policies and procedures promote health equity and engage and collaborate internally and externally with subcontractors, network providers and Medi-Cal members to advance health equity efforts and address mental health disparities. Named Woman of the Year in 2023 for the 46th Congressional District, Dr. Rose has more than 25 years of health care leadership experience in the promotion of equity and improved health outcomes for underserved populations. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Social Work from California State University, Long Beach, as well as a Doctor of Public Health from Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health.
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Street Medicine Support Center Approved by Board | | |
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CalOptima Health plans to acquire, renovate and open a 52-room Street Medicine Support Center in Garden Grove to house individuals, mainly older adults, who qualify and are referred to this housing by our Street Medicine clinical team. Our Board approved $18.5 million to directly address the housing crisis for CalOptima Health members experiencing homelessness.
The first-of-its-kind support center is an extension of CalOptima Health’s current Street Medicine Program, which launched on April 1, 2023, in partnership with the City of Garden Grove and Healthcare in Action. Using a medical van, Healthcare in Action's interdisciplinary teams canvas the Garden Grove community and reach members living in parks, under freeways and other unsheltered spaces.
Once completed, the Street Medicine Support Center will feature 52 private rooms with a kitchenette and bathroom, shared laundry facilities, staff administrative offices and outdoor open space. Members using the facility will receive three meals a day and benefit from 24/7 on-site security. Older adults, families and veterans already participating in our Street Medicine Program will receive priority placement in the new facility. The target date for opening the center is spring 2025.
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CalOptima Health Implements Doula Benefit | |
Doula services are now a covered Medi-Cal benefit. Doulas are birth workers who provide health education, advocacy, and physical, emotional, and non-medical support for those who are pregnant or have recently given birth. As part of the new benefit, eligible CalOptima Health members can receive one initial visit, support during labor and delivery (including stillbirth, miscarriage and termination), up to eight additional doula visits between the prenatal and postpartum period, and up to two extended postpartum visits.
On September 7, CalOptima Health’s Board approved actions to build CalOptima Health’s doula network and support their contracting efforts. In addition to benefiting from CalOptima Health's short-term, supplemental rate increase during the COVID-19 transition, doulas will receive further base rate enhancements effective January 1, 2024.
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Friendship Shelter Receives $3.8 Million Grant From CalOptima Health | | |
New Experience Feedback Program Launched | |
Rebekah One, Thomas House Family Shelter Program Director, poses next to a recently installed Pulse for Good experience feedback kiosk at the Thomas House Temporary Shelter office in Garden Grove.
Through a partnership with Pulse for Good, CalOptima Health funded a program that will help housing navigation providers obtain feedback on their services from members experiencing homelessness. Offered to CalOptima Health’s housing navigation providers, the kiosks provide insights directly from the people frequenting their sites and using their services. Currently, 11 housing navigation providers are participating in the program and 18 standalone kiosks will be installed at locations throughout the county. They will also receive start-up funding to support the integration of this technology into their organization’s operations and evaluation processes.
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Leader Named an LA Times OC Visionary | Kelly Bruno-Nelson, CalOptima Health’s Executive Director of Medi-Cal/CalAIM, will be honored in the LA Times OC Visionaries magazine dedicated to recognizing the most influential leaders in Orange County who exhibit excellence in their respective fields. Bruno-Nelson will be recognized with a profile in the October 15 magazine and invited to a reception celebrating the honorees on October 10. The magazine reaches more than 40,000 Times OC subscribers as well as millions of monthly online visitors. | | |
Board Seat Opens for Member Representative | |
CalOptima Health's Board Director member representative seat is currently vacant. An application for appointment to this seat can be found here on the Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) website. CalOptima Health is a separate public entity from the County of Orange, but our Board's composition is governed by the County. Therefore, recruitment is conducted by HCA and appointments are made by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
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CalOptima Health and Oasis Senior Center to Hold a Lunch and Learn | |
You’re invited to join a Lunch and Learn Event held by Newport Beach City Council Member Lauren Kleiman, OASIS Senior Center and CalOptima Health on September 27, Noon–1:30 p.m. Learn more about:
- Medi-Cal Renewal Process and the CalFresh Program
- Community resources for basic needs, mental health, food, caregiver resources and more
Date: Wednesday, September 27
Time: Noon-1:30 p.m.
Where: OASIS Senior Center
801 Narcissus Ave, Corona del Mar, CA 92625
Lunch is sponsored by Lauren Kleiman and provided by AgeWell and there will be opportunity drawings for gift baskets!
Please RSVP for this event by Friday, September 22 by calling 949-644-3244 or email OASIScenter@newportbeachca.gov.
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Orange County Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) is Now Accepting Applications |  | |
OCCR/Housing and Community Development is pleased to announce that the Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) will be opening the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) waiting list and accepting applications beginning September 18, 2023 at 8 a.m. and ending September 29 at 11:59 p.m.
For thousands of people and families who have been waiting to apply for rental assistance, this comes as a welcome relief.
Below are additional details about the process:
After the application period closes, OCHA will give preference to applicants who live or work within OCHA’s jurisdiction and in the order listed to applicants who are U.S. Veterans; Elderly, Disabled or Working Families; and Non-Working Families. OCHA will group the applications by preference, apply the random placement within the preference group, and select the first 12,000 applicants by preference to be placed on the waiting list. The waiting list will be limited to 12,000 applicants.
Applications for the waiting list will be accepted one of three following ways:
Paper applications and in-person assistance are also available at designated locations across Orange County, including all Orange County Public Libraries, the County Services Center (CAS), participating City Halls and select community nonprofit partners/community organizations. Submitted applications are not considered on a first-come, first-served basis, and the timing of the application submittal has no bearing on the waiting list position or how soon an applicant may receive assistance.
For more information on how to apply, please visit www.ochousing.org or call OCHA at 714-480-2798.
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Orange County’s Older Adults Needs Assessment Survey | |
Advance OC, in partnership with the County of Orange, invites you to participate in a survey being conducted for the County’s Older Adults Needs Assessment. The purpose of this survey is to identify the needs of older adults and gather insights from lived experience. Data is collected by Advance OC and any personal identifiable information will not be shared with anyone. Results of this survey will be used to develop Orange County’s Master Plan for Aging. The survey begins on September 5 and ends on December 30, 2023.
The survey can also be assessed at www.olderadultssurvey.com or by calling 949-415-6898
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Webinar on DSA, EPT Grants | |
Register to attend a webinar from the California Medical Association (CMA) on October 5, 12:15–1:15 p.m., to learn about grant opportunities for advancing population health and data sharing capabilities. This webinar will provide an overview of two available grant programs: Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) Signatory Program and the Equity and Practice Transformation (EPT) Provider Directed Payment Program. The DSA Signatory Program offers up to $50,000 to help practices meet DSA requirements. The EPT Provider Directed Payment program offers $375,000 to $10,000,000 for primary care practices that provide primary care pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, primary care OB/GYN services, or behavioral health services to Medi-Cal members. The overview will be followed by an extended Q&A session.
The webinar is free and open to all physicians, regardless of CMA membership status. For questions, please email physicianservices@cmadocs.org.
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CalOptima Health, A Public Agency www.caloptima.org
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