association of all 16 local, not-for-profit health plans providing access to critical, comprehensive healthcare services for low-income populations enrolled in Medi-Cal. LHPC provides an active platform to share best practices, even more valuable during the pandemic crisis. He also is a board member of the California Association of Health Plans. CAHP is a statewide association representing 46 public and commercial health plans providing coverage to more than 26 million Californians.
Michael Schrader a combined Medicare and Medicaid plan – in California known as Cal MediConnect). Schrader has a deep, careerspanning commitment to providing access to quality health care for vulnerable communities. Assuming leadership during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Schrader, who has a track record of supporting employee engagement and career development, has let dedicated HPSJ staff know he appreciates their continuing rise to the occasion – even as most continue to work remotely and without missing a beat – to serve members, providers, and community. While responsible for continued operations to serve Medi-Cal members and promote their ongoing preventative health care, he and his HPSJ team are working closely with public health officials and local leaders to help keep both HPSJ members and the community safe during the pandemic. HPSJ COVID-related initiatives range from support for testing and follow-up care for vulnerable homeless and farm worker populations, to extending hospital capacity by adjusting oxygen at home for earlier COVID patients’ discharge. HPSJ is now collaborating with the State to help conceive a possible long-term care benefit at home that could eventually provide another support for HPSJ members and COVID-taxed hospital systems. Ongoing community communication initiatives include the multimedia COVID-19 outreach/education campaign Step Up! Help Restore Our Community, introduced in summer; it continues along with direct and broad communication efforts that leverage public health and community organization efforts. Schrader also is a leader at the state level. He is chair of Local Health Plans of California (LHPC), the statewide
FALL 2020
On the Road to More Safe Reopening –Well Child Outreach, A Provider/Health Plan of San Joaquin Campaign This is just one of our COVID-era partnerships, here targeted to parents with children at risk due to gaps in immunizations and regular office visits. From HPSJ’s outbound calls, to this bi-lingual mailing encouraging parents to work with their doctor while practicing COVID safety, to support for practices re-orienting for safe reopening – Provider Services Representatives and other HPSJ employees are working closely with practices and clinics as they prepare and maintain their spaces for safe reopening. This Well Child/Immunizations Campaign will continue into fall, and include outdoor community education, advertising, social media, and messaging for HPSJ members – for example, in the member newsletter (FOCUS) and on the HPSJ member website https://www.hpsj.com/coronavirus/. STAND Receives $1.8 Million Grant from Dignity Health Homeless Health Initiative Dignity Health recently provided a Homeless Health Initiative Grant to Stocktonians Taking Action to Neutralize Drugs (STAND) for $1.8 million, in partnership with San Joaquin County Whole Person Care (WPC). With this funding, STAND will be able to provide permanent housing for those most in need in our community. “Dignity Health’s Homeless Health Initiative grant program is an extension of our organization’s long standing commitment to serving those most vulnerable among us, including the unhoused,” said Don Wiley, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Medical Center. “Through this collaboration between multiple partners, we are able to address both the social support and housing needs in our community, through this sustainable model.” This grant will enable STAND to build four units
SAN JOAQUIN PHYSICIAN
13
