Community Reinvestment | LHPC Local Impact

No Collections Here

Sort your projects into collections. Click on "Manage Collections" to get started

Local Plans Invest
In The Community

What sets Local Health Plans of California members apart is their commitment to not only providing quality care to 70% of Medi-Cal enrollees in 51 counties but also investing beyond Medi-Cal requirements into the communities they serve.

This is best told by VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY.

HEALTH EQUITY & QUALITY

HOUSING

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELLBEING

FOOD STABILITY

& NUTRITION

HEQ

Health Equity
& Quality

Local health plans are committed to reducing health care disparities and improving access to quality care for all Californians. Through strategic investments, they are addressing critical needs in underserved communities, from expanding clinic capacity to providing targeted support for maternal health. These efforts are designed to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, has access to the care and resources they need to live healthier lives.

Street Medicine Reaches Members Where They Are

CalOptima Health provided $4 million to Healthcare in Action to launch its first street medicine program in Garden Grove, CA. Funding covered the first two years of operations, including purchase of a medical van, equipment, supplies, computers/technology, and staff costs for administrative personnel, health care providers, and peer navigators. Using the medical van to canvas the community and reach members living in parks, under freeways, and other unsheltered spaces, the program provides primary care, behavioral health, and case management to individuals experiencing homelessness. Recently, they have expanded the program to Anaheim and Costa Mesa.

“The goal … was to deliver primary care to up to 200 homeless individuals using a medical van. As of the end of the first quarter 2024, a total of 263 individuals have been served… Trained medical staff take the necessary steps to build trust over time and ensure this vulnerable population is treated with the care and respect they deserve…[T]he program has exceeded our expectations and had a positive impact in our community.

—Monica Covarrubias, Sr. Project Manager, City of Garden Grove

Expanding Clinics to Increase Access

To meet an escalating demand for behavioral health services among adolescents and children in San Mateo County, Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) provided a grant to Wellity Health to help them lease additional space and hire more therapists. As a result, Wellity Health will be able to see up to 600 additional HPSM patients, offer a more comprehensive range of treatment options, and provide workforce development opportunities for their staff. This capacity-building program reduces wait times and promotes better access to care.

645c26802d782f789b61c507_Wellity Health logo_2x.png

Rural Mobile Health Clinics for Central Valley Farmworkers

Kern Family Health Care is supporting rural mobile health clinics serving farmworkers in the Central Valley. Through a partnership with local providers, these clinics focus on outreach and education, chronic conditions, and full physicals for men’s and women’s health. They are also approved through BenefitsCal to enroll eligible farmworkers in Medi-Cal, promoting access to full-scope health coverage and coordinated care.

“We are currently providing 1-2 clinics per week at farmworker worksites. In most cases this is the first time that these individuals have been seen by a doctor… We are able to help a community that is being impacted by diabetes by bringing these clinics to their worksites.

“This community struggles with transportation and basic literacy… Through outreach and education, we must gain the trust of this community and through preventative chronic illness education the community can become healthier…

“We must hold ourselves and the providers accountable to making sure that the experience is flawless and respectful. The only way that we can create a healthy sustainable farmworker community is to ensure that we educate and inform them of the importance of having Medi-Cal and a long-term healthcare plan.”

—Darrell Muniz, COO, California Farmworker Foundation

Addressing Racial Disparities and Lifting Up Black Mothers

Based on data showing significant disparities in maternal and infant outcomes among Black mothers and babies, L.A. Care Health Plan awarded $150,000 to support quality health care and education through the St. John’s Community Health Committed to Black Wellness and Health Program. The program includes classes tailored to Black mothers and families, covering racism, advocacy, prenatal care, childbirth education, breastfeeding, infant care, postpartum wellness, case management, and life-planning in a culturally competent environment. Preliminary data indicates better birth outcomes and lower depression/anxiety scores among mothers who have completed the program.

“By providing education, resources, and advocacy, the program empowered Black mothers and families to make informed decisions about their health care. This led to increased access to quality prenatal care, better understanding of childbirth and infant care practices, and improved postpartum support. Ultimately, these efforts contributed to reducing disparities in maternal and infant mortality rates among Black communities, fostering healthier outcomes for both mothers and babies.

—Heather Alexander, Program Director, St. John's Community Health Committed to Black Wellness and Health Program (CBWH)

Medi-Cal Enrollment Campaigns Increase Access, Lower Costs

During the Medi-Cal redetermination process, millions of Californians were at risk of losing access to care and comprehensive health benefits and services. Without significant outreach and enrollment efforts, populations already experiencing health disparities and who often face barriers to care because of linguistic, cultural, or other reasons could have been disenrolled due to lack of paperwork or confusion.

To prevent widespread loss of vital health coverage, Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP) partnered with five CBOs and three FQHCs to ensure Medi-Cal members completed their paperwork and did not lose coverage. As a result of this commitment to health equity and access for all, CBOs reached thousands of residents and helped hundreds of individuals enroll in Medi-Cal.

CCHP’s funding also supported targeted enrollment campaigns for Californians who became newly eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal beginning January 2024. Relying on their trusted relationships with vulnerable populations, local FQHCs successfully enrolled undocumented immigrants into comprehensive benefits and services through Medi-Cal or connected those who were income-ineligible to Covered California.

Housing

Stable housing is a critical foundation for good health, and local health plans are investing in solutions to support vulnerable populations. By funding affordable housing projects, permanent supportive housing, and recuperative care facilities, they are addressing the social determinants of health and helping individuals move from instability to long-term wellness. These initiatives provide not only shelter but also essential services that promote healing and improve overall quality of life for Californians in need.

Multidimensional Housing Supports

Partnership HealthPlan of California helped fund Paul’s Place, an innovative multi-use four-story building that includes a day-use resource center and emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing. Created with broad input across the city of Davis, it is designed to help those who are or are at risk of becoming homeless move from the streets to stable housing and improve individual and community health and wellbeing. The resource center connects individuals to public benefits, housing and employment opportunities, and health and human services. It also provides access to food, showers, clothing, restrooms, and laundry facilities. The building, which is owned and operated by Davis Community Meals and Housing, includes 10 transitional housing units and 18 permanent supportive housing apartments. 

“Paul’s Place is an innovative vertical tiny home village that will provide not only shelter but customized wraparound supportive services to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness – whether for mental health support, addiction recovery, the medically fragile, and/or other social service needs.”

—Robb Davis, Paul’s Place Committee Co-Chair

Permanent Supportive Housing for Medically Complex Members

With support from Central California Alliance for Health’s (CCAH) Medi-Cal Capacity Grant Program, MidPen Housing constructed 261 affordable housing units in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. They include 41 units designated as permanent supportive housing for medically complex CCAH members. In 2024, CCAH established a dedicated Housing Fund, which aims to expand housing options across the continuum for Medi-Cal members across CCAH’s service areas.

“Housing is one of the most important social drivers of health. Without safe and stable housing, it is almost impossible to address underlying health issues because being unhoused becomes the focal point of one’s life and detracts from any healing measures. [CCAH] has recognized housing as a foundational building block to health and invests in permanent supportive housing and capacity building for supportive services.”

—Natalie Magana Boyles, Project Manager MidPen Housing

Workforce development

Local health plans are committed to building a robust, diverse health care workforce to meet the needs of California's communities. Through scholarships, training programs, and recruitment initiatives, they are investing in the next generation of health care providers. These efforts are aimed at increasing access to care, improving the quality of services, and ensuring that underserved communities have the skilled professionals needed to address their unique health challenges.

Multi-Layered Approach to Expand and Train Medi-Cal Workforce

Launched in 2018, L.A. Care Health Plan’s Elevating the Safety Net Initiative is a $205 million commitment to recruit, train, and retain highly qualified primary care physicians into the Los Angeles County Safety Net. Scholarships, grants, and loan repayments go to qualified recipients in the following areas:

Provider recruitment grants: up to $125,000 to subsidize salaries for physicians who agree to a 36-month commitment to serve in the safety net

Medical school loan repayments: $5,000/month for at least 36 months while physicians work in the safety net

Full-ride scholarships for medical school students at University of California, Los Angeles and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science: approximately $400,000 per student, including tuition and cost of living (56 scholarships awarded to date)

Caregiver training for in-home supportive services workers: 10-week program that teaches CPR, first aid, infection control, nutrition, and body mechanics (offered in English, Spanish, Armenian, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin)

“Medical student attrition is high among low-income students. This scholarship helps diversify the health care workforce by preventing attrition due to lack of income... The students... are bilingual and bicultural.... Latina physicians are more likely to work in County hospitals and FQHCs.”

— Margarita Loeza, MD MPH, Assistant Dean, Admissions and Student Affairs, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, College of Medici

Promoting Opportunities at All Scope of Practice Levels

Kern Family Health Care (KFHC) is helping build a diverse pipeline of nurses that will serve the Central Valley at all professional levels, including providing funding to support two local community colleges, Taft College and Cerro Coso Community College, to offer new Associate Degree in Nursing programs.

KFHC is also providing $1 million to help launch a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), in fall 2025. Support is covering proposal development and Chancellor’s Office approval, curriculum and course development, accreditation, faculty and staff training, marketing, and recruitment. The DNP program helps meet the emerging standard for nurse practitioners (NPs) to hold doctorate-level degrees and address critical primary care shortages in the Central Valley. The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) to DNP program will offer a pathway for existing MSN-NPs, enabling them to remain competitive in the job market and earn higher wages. Through these efforts, KFHC is fostering educational and career opportunities for nurses while addressing critical health care needs in rural communities across the Central Valley.

“Kern County residents suffer from worse health outcomes compared to residents of other counties in California. The launch of a DNP program at CSUB will contribute to the improvement of the lives of people with Medi-Cal coverage by increasing the number of locally trained doctorally prepared NPs. This will substantially increase access to health care and improve health care quality in the chronically medically underserved California Central Valley. Doctorally prepared NPs will also serve as role models for local residents, especially children, who live in a community where educational attainment is low and poverty rates are high.”

— Dr. Heidi He, Graduate Nursing Program Director, California State University, Bakersfield

Addressing Workforce Shortages and Keeping Care Local

Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) is investing more than $15 million to address workforce shortages in Ventura County. Since the launch of its grant program in 2023, GCHP has distributed nearly $14 million in recruitment grants to attract specialists, primary care physicians, and advanced practice providers to the community. These grants help ease the financial burden for local provider practices, hospitals, and clinics to hire recruiters and cover sign-on bonuses, relocation expenses, liability insurance, and initial salaries. This funding is part of GCHP's broader commitment to enhancing local health care services.

GCHP also launched a $1.5 million scholarship program to develop a diverse behavioral health workforce. This program supports students at various educational levels who are planning to become direct behavioral health service providers. The program prioritizes Medi-Cal members, first-generation college students, foster youth, and those from underserved groups like Mexican Indigenous and farmworker communities. Applicants proficient in Spanish, Mixteco, Tagalog, or American Sign Language and those living in geographically underserved areas are encouraged to apply.

By aligning the workforce’s diversity with the community, GCHP aims to build trust, improve communication, and enhance health outcomes in Ventura County.

Scholarship Support Nonphysician Pipelines

For decades, Community Health Group (CHG) has provided scholarships that support students from high schools, colleges, and CBOs in pursuing higher education. The initiative is designed to go beyond financial aid by fostering talented students to seek meaningful careers in health care. Scholarships target historically underrepresented groups, and recipients reflect local communities in alignment with CHG’s values of diversity and inclusion.

With education being a cornerstone for success, CHG partners with San Diego State University and Southwestern College to remove financial barriers for students with a health care major. Focused scholarships also fund local CBOs and the Southwestern College EMT/Paramedic Program, ensuring that aspiring students in health-related fields receive sustained support. By creating environments that support academic and professional growth for the next generation of health care leaders, CHG helps students thrive and empowers them to achieve their goals.

“All my life I have held menial positions at dead-end jobs, and I know furthering my education is the only way to change all of that. Being a single parent living far below the poverty line, financial assistance is imperative to my success as a student.”

—Southwestern College student

Scholarship for Providers with a Committment to Service

Since 2020, Inland Empire Health Plan’s Healthcare Scholarship Fund has provided more than $38 million in scholarships for 239 physician and psychiatric nurse practitioner students at University of California, Riverside, California University of Science and Medicine, and Loma Linda University. Recipients commit to serving the Medi-Cal population in Riverside or San Bernardino counties for a least five years after they graduate.

CHWB

Community Health & Wellbeing

Local health plans are strengthening communities by establishing resource centers that provide essential services beyond health care. These centers offer fitness classes, health workshops, and wellness programs, available to both members and non-members, creating hubs for education, prevention, and support. By investing in these centers, local plans are fostering healthier, more connected communities where residents can access resources that improve their overall well-being.

Mobile Showers with Wraparound Services

Inland Empire Health Plan has provided funding to support The Shower of Hope organization. Their mobile shower trailer not only provides shower services to assist individuals experiencing homelessness but also serves as a community resource hub. In partnership with other service provider agencies (mental health, substance use recovery, housing), individuals in need can receive hygiene, meals, dignity, and a path out of homelessness. From 2021 to 2023, The Shower of Hope provided mobile showers and wraparound services to approximately 3,000 individuals. 

Community Resource Center and Lactation Room

Through the Reinvent South Stockton Coalition’s Black Birth Equity Initiative, Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan (HPSJ/MVHP) provided funding for The Birthing Tree Community Lactation Room. This safe space supports birthing families and working mothers to learn best birthing practices, receive perinatal education, and connect to wraparound support and resources. Visitors to the center have access to doulas, lactation specialists, and community health workers (CHWs). HPSJ/MVHP’s funding helped purchase supplies and amenities for the lactation room and training, education, and development for these health care professionals.

See2Succeed Mobile vision van for free glasses for kids

Free Glasses for Central Valley Students

Since 2015, CalViva Health has supported See 2 Succeed, a school-based vision program that provides free eye exams and glasses for underserved children in 22 school districts in Fresno County. Through mobile clinics that provide on-the-spot eye care, See 2 Succeed exemplifies how local control of resources ensures funding is directed where it will be most impactful. Recently, they achieved a significant milestone by distributing over 6,000 pairs of free glasses to students in need, removing barriers to learning and enabling greater success in the classroom.

“Working with a local health plan that truly invests in the community ensures we can continue reaching underserved students. The support we receive from CalViva sustains our efforts and allows us to make an even greater impact by improving lives through accessible health services.”

—Steven Voon, EVP and COO, Tzu Chi Medical Foundation (See 2 Succeed)

SUPPORTING FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Santa Clara Family Health Plan (SCFHP) has provided critical support through its board-designated fund for two of Parents Helping Parents’ (PHP) key programs. PHP’s Connections California offers workshops and serves as a statewide hub of information in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese for parents of individuals with disabilities transitioning to adulthood. PHP’s Parents for Change Advocacy Program educates and empowers parents of young and adult children with disabilities to create change in their schools and service systems through community leadership.

“SCFHP's support of both programs has led to more parents from historically underrepresented communities obtaining necessary information and resources for their child with a disability while learning valuable advocacy skills…

PHP’s Connections California gives families the confidence and information they need to plan the very complex transition to adulthood for their child with a disability. Our Parents for Change Advocacy Program prepares the next generation of parent leaders advocating for needed change in the systems of care for people with disabilities.”

—Mark Fishler, Chief Development Officer, Parents Helping Parents

Preventing Summer Relapse for Youth with Disabilities

Since 2017, CenCal Health remains the only financial supporter of Camp Mariposas, an annual summer program specifically designed to offer therapeutic support to school-aged children (usually aged 3-10 years old) with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome. CenCal Health’s contribution helps prevent relapses during summer break through personalized therapeutic services in speech, language, occupational, and socialization skills. Families also participate in Circles of Security, a program that enhances parent-child relationships.

“The investment has made a profound impact in our community year-by-year, ensuring that children with disabilities receive access to necessary therapeutic services during the summer break. Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand how the funding transformed the lives of the children and families that participated… The parent training empowers parents to feel confident in their parenting skills. The impact extends beyond camp; families feel empowered, included, and supported, accessing additional community resources.”

— Silvia Wasjutin, Owner, MP Health (Camp Mariposas)

FOOD

Food Stability
& Nutrition

Access to nutritious food is a key factor in maintaining health, and local health plans are tackling food insecurity through innovative programs. From meal delivery services to food-as-medicine initiatives, these investments address one of the most critical determinants of health. By ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to healthy food, local plans are helping prevent and manage chronic conditions, while also promoting long-term health and wellness.

Food as Medicine

Alameda County’s food as medicine program, called Recipe4Health, launched in 2020 with the support of nearly $1.8 million in grants from Alameda Alliance for Health (AAH). This clinically integrated program supports FQHC clinic teams to prescribe food sourced from local organic farms and pairs it with trauma-informed health coaching from a community-based organization to treat, prevent, and reverse chronic conditions and to address food insecurity.

Grant funds from AAH augmented the County’s investments and supported Dig Deep Farms, a hyperlocal, BIPOC-led farm that grows food using regenerative and organic practices, and Open Source Wellness, to deliver trauma-informed health coaching to FQHC patients.

“AAH was bold and visionary in seeing the possibility of Food as Medicine before it became popular. Before CalAIM, AAH invested in Recipe4Health, which allowed us to develop a nationally recognized model. By connecting health care demand to agricultural supply of regenerative food, Recipe4Health is a health multiplier that generates co-benefits to human health, climate/soil health, economic health, and health and racial equity.”

—Steven Chen, Chief Medical Officer, Recipe4Health, Alameda County Health

Long-term Partnership Supports Senior Meal Delivery

Since 2016, CenCal Health has funded Meals That Connect and CommUnify (prior to the transition to the Area Agency on Aging), which deliver nutritionally balanced meals to senior center dining rooms and medically homebound seniors each weekday. Investment dollars help purchase equipment, pay staff, and manage operations. The program exceeds the services covered under the medically tailored meal benefit through CalAIM as it helps individuals maintain their ability to live at home long-term. In 2024 alone, CenCal Health’s contribution will cover an estimated 22,550 meals; a paid volunteer coordinator to recruit and manage 450+ volunteers; and an extra 1,120 cubic feet of cold storage, including upgrading three refrigeration units.

“The meals we provide are invaluable to the seniors we serve. These are live quotes from our clients to help give you an idea of the power of these meals:

It's a good day because you showed up.

I wouldn't have food to eat otherwise.

You've saved my life.

The only reason I get out of bed each day is to greet my meal delivery driver.

Their generous support… helps us support the community better than ever—and that equates to getting nutrition to seniors, providing them dignity with aging, and remain in their homes longer.”

–Laura Edwards, Executive Director, Meals That Connect