CENCAL HEALTH NEWS

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CENCAL HEALTH NAMES MARINA OWEN TO SUCCEED LONGTIME CEO

CenCal Health, the publiclyfunded health care program for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, announced that Marina Owen will serve as its CEO, effective November 1. Owen succeeds Bob Freeman who retired after 28 years with CenCal Health.

As CEO of one of the first and oldest Medicaidonly managed care plans of its kind in the nation, Owen will be responsible for the overall strategic direction, management and administration of programs and services while ensuring that CenCal Health fulfills its mission, goals, and objectives.

Marina Owen has more than 15 years of health plan management experience, most recently as Chief Operating Officer at Central California Alliance for Health. There, she was responsible for enterprise-wide operations and executive leadership of member services, claims, project management, provider services, grievance, process improvement and regional operations. As a CenCal Health alum, Owen previously served as its Director, Provider Services and Community Engagement from 2008 until 2017. Owen becomes just the fourth CEO in the organization’s 38-year history.

“I am honored to serve CenCal Health once again,” said Owen. “I look forward to partnering with our board, members, providers and community organizations to improve the health and wellness of our diverse communities and advance health equity in the future.”

Bob Freeman is credited with managing CenCal Health’s growth to a current membership of over 205,000. During his tenure, a specialized pediatric unit was created to support Medi-Cal members who are also eligible for California Children’s Services, special health services for children and teens who have chronic medical conditions. Freeman also initiated an annual donation to two area non-profits for senior nutrition programs serving low-income seniors. Since 2016, the total contribution is over $2 million. Freeman led an organization that is listed at the top of Best Places to Work on the Central Coast in the Pacific Coast Business Times’ annual survey.

“I leave CenCal Health knowing the types of things we accomplished under my tenure will continue under Marina Owen,” said Freeman. “I have known and worked with Marina for almost 20 years. I leave the organization I love in very good hands.”

CENCAL HEALTH FUNDS PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT, MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AT THREE AREA HEALTH CENTERS

Four new physicians – three primary care doctors and one pediatrician – were recently retained by Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC). The health care provider employed these medical professionals for its clinics in Lompoc, Arroyo Grande, and Santa Maria, with funding ensured by CenCal Health. Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC) recruited a pediatrician for its Goleta clinic, as well as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in Santa Barbara, also with funds granted by CenCal Health. Six new medical practitioners are now serving local communities because of a unique initiative that covers physician recruitment costs and salaries, among other improvements for patient care.

In response to noted gaps in access to health care locally, CenCal Health implemented a Network Access Improvement program. The initiative focused on increasing primary and specialty care capacity for Medi-Cal members, as well as improving access to care for children and disabled members. These priorities were accomplished in two ways – by recruiting medical professionals to the health plan’s network, and by funding specialized medical equipment.

CHC recently received funding approval for a power adjustable, hi-low treatment table to help disabled patients transfer from their wheelchair to the exam table, and a new vaccine refrigerator. SBNC has been authorized funds for one Hoyer lift to support patient mobility in its Isla Vista clinic, and the Lompoc Health Care Center of Santa Barbara County Public Health will receive funds for an audiometry machine.

“Our provider partners often experience difficulty recruiting medical professionals from outside of our service area, who are willing to relocate to serve the underserved in our neighborhoods,” said CenCal Health Provider Services Director Terri Howell. “It’s important that we support our partners in employing more medical experts, who in turn, can serve more of our members.”