Welcome to the Pulse
Our Community Newsletter
Physicians of the Year • Our Membership Totals
CenCal Health Improving HPV Vaccination Rates, and more!
Inside this Issue
We Congratulate the Central Coast Medical Association
Physicians of the Year
Membership Totals
as of December 12, 2018
CenCal Health's Sheila Thompson Receives National Healthcare Quality Award
CenCal Health Awarded American Cancer Society Grant to Improve HPV Vaccination Rates
On the Horizon - Upcoming Community Events
CenCal Health Congratulates the Central Coast Medical Association
Physicians of the Year
Dr. Charity Dean named Santa Barbara County Physician of the Year

The Central Coast Medical Association awarded Charity Dean, MD, MPH, as the 2018 Physician of the Year for Santa Barbara County. The honor is for a physician who has worked to improve the quality of health care, contributed to the education of other physicians, and engaged in community service and other activities outside of medicine. Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, presented the award and shared stories of Dr. Dean, who is known by her colleagues for her compassion, work ethic, enthusiasm, and dedication to public service. Dr. Ransohoff stated, “Dr. Charity Dean was accepted into five medical schools. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t get accepted into that many schools. Dr. Dean’s hard work is a true testament to where she is today and where she is heading.”

Dr. Dean was raised in rural Oregon. She earned her Doctor of Medicine along with her Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine from Tulane University in Louisiana. Dr. Dean moved to Santa Barbara to complete her residency at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in internal medicine.

Dr. Dean served as deputy public health officer from 2011 to 2014 and then as public health officer from 2014 through 2018 at the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Recently, Dr. Dean was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as the assistant director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Dr. Dean is passionate about public service and has dedicated her life’s work to public health. She’s received numerous awards for her work, including the Gerald E Bruce Community Service Award from the Ford Family Foundation. Locally, she has been a vocal advocate during times of disaster for the health department ensuring quality and care for all Santa Barbara County residents.

Dr. Dean and her family will be moving to Sacramento when she begins working at the California Department of Public Health.

CenCal Health Congratulates the Central Coast Medical Association
Physicians of the Year
Dr. Joseph A Schwartz named San Luis Obispo County Physician of the Year

The Central Coast Medical Association awarded Joseph A. Schwartz, MD, as the 2018 Physician of the Year for San Luis Obispo County. The honor is for a physician who has worked to improve the quality of health care, contributed to the education of other physicians, and engaged in community service and other activities outside of medicine. Dr. Fred Vernacchia presented the award and shared stories of Dr. Schwartz. Dr. Vernacchia stated, "Joe very much practices medicine in the same way he approaches life, with an open heart, integrity, and passion for hard work and intellectual pursuits."

Dr. Schwartz was born in Philadelphia to Sam and Ruth Schwartz. Following the death of his father at the age of nine, Dr. Schwartz and his family moved to Beverly Hills. Growing up, Dr. Schwartz was encouraged to pursue intellectual opportunities. After completing his undergraduate degree in biology, Dr. Schwartz went on to receive his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis. He completed his residency, internship, and fellowship at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Schwartz then decided to pursue academia where he spent the first 10 years of his career as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota and at the University of Michigan. Dr. Schwartz eventually left academia to open his own private practice In San Luis Obispo, where he has resided since 1993.

Dr. Schwartz has a passion for exploring other countries and learning about other cultures. Dr. Schwartz has been traveling for more than 30 years and continues to do so with his wife, Barbara Boom. Dr. Schwartz and Barbara have a combined family of five sons and eight grandchildren.

[1] Reprint of this article approved by Central Coast Medical Association 12/19/18

CenCal Health Membership Totals
Santa Barbara Membership Population
CenCal Health Membership Totals
San Luis Obispo Membership Population
CenCal Health Manager Sheila Thompson Receives National Healthcare Quality Award
Luc R. Pelletier Healthcare Quality Award Presented to Solvang Resident

The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) has named Sheila Thompson, RN, CPHQ of Solvang as the recipient of the Luc R. Pelletier Healthcare Quality Award. This award recognizes a NAHQ member who develops a performance improvement program or initiative that directly impacts the quality of healthcare for a defined group of patients and improves organizational performance. Since 2008, this award has been presented annually to a single healthcare quality management professional during the yearly NAHQ conference. NAHQ is the leading organization for healthcare quality management professionals, comprising more than 7,500 active members worldwide. At the recent conference in Minneapolis, the award was presented to Thompson, an 18-year employee of CenCal Health, the local public agency that provides comprehensive health coverage to nearly 180,000 residents of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

For more information click here .

CenCal Health Awarded American Cancer Society Grant to Improve HPV Vaccination Rates in Santa Barbara County
Grant Will Fund Expansion of Program to All Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics

CenCal Health recently received a Collaborative Cancer Control Project Grant from the American Cancer Society to improve vaccination rates for human papillomavirus (HPV) in South Santa Barbara County. The $10,000 award will be used to implement multiple HPV vaccination improvement projects in partnership with the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. HPV is a common virus that infects 4 out of 5 people at some point in their lives, and can lead to cervical, anal, and throat cancers and to genital warts.

“One of our key cancer control priorities is to prevent HPV cancers by increasing HPV vaccination,” said Raquel Arias, State Health Systems Manager at the American Cancer Society. “Engaging partners like health plans and federally qualified health centers is critical to drive HPV vaccination rate improvement. We are excited to be supporting CenCal Health and Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics in their efforts to protect families from HPV cancers.”

The HPV vaccine is a safe and effective cancer prevention vaccine, but vaccination rates remain low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in 2017 only 49% of adolescents were up to date on all of the recommended doses of the HPV vaccine. CenCal Health, the local Medicaid plan, achieved an HPV vaccination rate of 52% for 2017 in Santa Barbara County. The American Cancer Society has set the ambitious goal of 80% HPV vaccination in the U.S. by 2026. 

In November of 2017, CenCal Health saw a noticeable difference in HPV vaccination rates between north and south Santa Barbara County, and has been in the planning stages of a targeted improvement project for south county starting at the Isla Vista Neighborhood Clinic. This grant will allow CenCal Health and the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics to expand the improvement project to all Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.

For more information click here .

Upcoming Community Events
114th Annual San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Dinner
January 19th, 2019
Santa Barbara American Heart Association Go Red for Women Luncheon February 8th, 2019