Award-winning collaborations
Network of community health clinics wins national award, nominated by CenCal Health
As a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the disenfranchised, Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC) had a first-hand account of the pandemic’s alarming effects on the well-being of the most at-risk populations on the Central Coast. During COVID-19 lockdowns and under the gravest of circumstances, CHC implemented extensive initiatives to provide vulnerable residents — most notably farmworkers and Latinx/Latine community members — with COVID-19 education, resources, food, and other vital in-person services.
Though designated as critical members of the workforce, being a farm worker often comes at a dangerous price. Eager to provide local farmworkers resources that could potentially safeguard them and their families from infection, CHC’s Education and Outreach teams collaborated with numerous agricultural support organizations.
As a result of the cross-agency collaboration carried out in early 2020, farmworkers were afforded personalized support during 31 CHC visits to agriculture fields, and migrant and public housing sites throughout northern Santa Barbara County. The services included COVID-19 education in the farmworkers’ native languages; medical treatment; distribution of more than 5,350 free “COVID Care Kits”; and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), including over 20,000 face masks. Likely, the outreach also rendered a significant secondary effect – avoiding a serious disruption of the local food supply chain and potential food shortage crisis worldwide.
In June 2022, the Association for Community Affiliated Health Plans recognized CHC with the prestigious Supporting the Safety Net Award. CEO Marina Owen, who nominated provider partner CHC, presented the national award to CHC Medical Director Steve Clarke, MD.
CenCal Health earns national recognition for HPV vaccination education
In 2022, The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) presented the 2021 NCQA Innovation Award to CenCal Health for the bilingual intervention Know More: HPV (human papillomavirus). With the goal of increasing HPV vaccination rates, the in-office patient strategy consists of a digital program that can be viewed on any smart device and interactively provides health information on HPV and the need to vaccinate adolescents.
Upon identifying a geographic health disparity in HPV vaccination rates among our membership, CenCal Health collaborated with the American Cancer Society to develop the learning tool that educates families about HPV vaccination at a critical moment – when the child is at the doctor’s office.
CenCal Health worked with network provider Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics to identify Medi-Cal plan members ages 11-12 who were due for one or more HPV vaccines and provided the tool to patients and parents while at the clinic.
CenCal Health was one of only three awardees selected by NCQA among more than 40 applicants nationwide. Previously, in 2019, the California Department of Health Care Services had recognized CenCal Health with an Innovation Award for this health care improvement initiative.
Know More: HPV videos
www.cencalhealth.org/vaccines (English)
www.cencalhealth.org/vacunas (Spanish)