Initiatives expanded telehealth to
California's most vulnerable
residents; extended physical and mental health care to those
without shelter; promoted healthy child development; and improved
food access and education.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 30,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Net, one of California's longest serving and most
experienced Medi-Cal partners, has been recognized by the Institute
for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) for their various initiatives
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to address social determinants of
health and to reduce inequities.
"The pandemic meant we needed to rapidly pivot how we do our
work to continue meeting the needs of our members," said Dr.
Pooja Mittal, Chief Health Equity
Officer at Health Net. "We are proud of the work our teams have
done to help members stay connected to care and services, whether
through telehealth or community outreach. We will continue these
efforts for years to come."
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, many providers
halted outpatient care for days, weeks or longer to decrease the
risk of transmitting the virus to patients or health care workers.
But Californians continued to need food, information and support.
Health Net stepped in and listened, adapting existing initiatives
and developing new ones to meet the health and social needs of the
communities they serve.
IMI hosted a webinar to examine and highlight initiatives that
addressed social determinants of health and health inequities
exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, Health Net
had four programs that were showcased to attendees, including their
COVID-19 Telehealth Capacity Support, MLKCH Street Medicine
Program, Family Hui Initiative and Los Angeles Food Bank Pilot.
COVID-19 Telehealth Capacity Support
As medical appointments quickly shifted to virtual visits during
the pandemic, Health Net launched its COVID-19 Telehealth Capacity
Support program to establish and expand telehealth services for
Medi-Cal enrollees. In 2020, Health Net awarded 138 Telehealth
Capacity grants, totaling $13.4
million, to Medi-Cal providers across California. Grantees identified the
following benefits of providing telehealth services:
- 31% said funding allowed them to conduct routine checkups and
wellness visits.
- 42% indicated that telehealth was an important tool for patient
screenings.
- 17% provided health education, including nutrition, physical
activity counseling, and smoking-cessation programs.
- 16% reported success in providing mental health services.
MLKCH Street Medicine Program
The effects of the
pandemic have been particularly difficult for individuals who are
experiencing homelessness. That's why Health Net funded the MLKCH
Street Medicine program, a collaboration between Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital
(MLKCH) and University of Southern
California Keck School of Medicine. The program engages
experts in street medicine to help reduce disparities in health
outcomes for people experiencing homelessness in South Los Angeles by achieving the following
outcomes:
- Increased connection to primary and specialty medical
care;
- Increased access to mental health and substance use disorder
treatment;
- Improved sanitation and nutrition;
- Decreased avoidable hospital and emergency department
visits;
- Reduced disparities in hypertension and diabetes control.
Family Hui Initiative
Recognizing the challenges of
parenting throughout the pandemic, Health Net funded the
community-based organization, Lead4Tomorrow, to provide Family Hui
parental, peer-led support groups in Imperial, Los
Angeles, Sacramento,
San Bernardino and San Joaquin counties. Named for the Hawaiian
term "Hui" (hoo'ee), a cooperative group working together for a
shared purpose, Family Hui aims to promote healthy child
development. The program supports and empowers parents and
caregivers in the joys of raising their children and addresses the
challenges in healthy ways through providing:
- A trauma-informed parenting curriculum;
- Leadership training for peer facilitators;
- Resilience-building activities;
- Connections for parents to services to build a strong support
community.
Los Angeles Food Bank Pilot
With inflation making food
more costly, food banks and community organizations need help
feeding families who struggle to put food on the table. Health Net
awarded the Los Angeles (LA)
Regional Food Bank a grant to assist members in managing their
health through increased food access and nutrition awareness. The
LA Food Bank Pilot program provided home-delivered groceries and
went beyond food distribution to sponsor an interactive,
educational webinar series on nutrition and its role in managing
chronic illness. The pilot worked to accomplish the following
objectives:
- Encourage a relationship between the health plan and its
members;
- Promote healthy lifestyle changes;
- Provide education on healthy food options and practices;
- Provide healthy foods to individuals experiencing financial or
transportation barriers.
With more than 40 years of experience providing care for the
state's most vulnerable residents, Health Net continues to lead the
charge to improve health equity with multi-faceted, collaborative
and culturally relevant programs and interventions at the statewide
and local level. To learn more about Health Net's industry-leading
efforts to drive health equity, visit
BridgingtheDivideCA.com and follow Health Net on
Facebook and Twitter.
About Health Net:
Founded in California more than 40 years ago, Health Net
believes every person deserves a safety net for their health,
regardless of age, income, employment status or current state of
health. That's why we provide health coverage for every stage of
life and advance health equity with innovative approaches to care.
Today, Health Net's 2,600 employees and 90,000 network providers
serve three million members throughout California. We offer an array of health plans,
including Medi-Cal, Medicare and individual and family plans. We
offer these health plans and other services through Health Net, LLC
and its subsidiaries: Health Net of California, Inc., Health Net Life Insurance
Company and Health Net Community Solutions, Inc. These entities are
wholly owned subsidiaries of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a
Fortune 25 company. For more information, visit
www.HealthNet.com.
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SOURCE Health Net