November 4, 2024
Top News
California and Aspiranet Break Ground on New Behavioral Health Facility
On October 24, DHCS and Aspiranet
broke ground on a new behavioral health facility in Turlock. The Hope Forward Campus will provide critical mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment for children and youth in the Central Valley. Aspiranet partnered with Stanislaus, Merced, and San Joaquin counties to develop this state-of-the-art facility, which is projected to serve more than 1,600 individuals annually.
DHCS awarded Aspiranet more than $33 million through the
Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), which is expanding the state's behavioral health facility infrastructure to serve the most vulnerable Californians. With the recently approved Proposition 1 bonds,
even more behavioral health treatment facilities will be funded and built in 2025 and 2026.
Program Updates
Updated Indian Health Program Service Locator Tool
As part of Native American Heritage Month, DHCS updated the
Indian Health Care Programs Service Locator Tool, which helps users find medical, dental, nutritional, and behavioral health services and Indian health care providers near them through an address search function and a directory by county. This updated tool continues DHCS' commitment to improving quality outcomes, reducing health disparities, and transforming the health care delivery system to ensure American Indians and Alaska Natives receive culturally and linguistically appropriate care. To learn more about the Locator Tool or DHCS' Office of Tribal Affairs' partnerships and initiatives, please visit the
Office of Tribal Affairs webpage.
Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Technical Assistance (TA) Marketplace Round 5 Vendor Procurement
On January 1, DHCS will open the
PATH TA Marketplace Round 5 vendor application. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2025. Round 5 will be a targeted procurement for new and existing hands-on service offerings that address TA Marketplace gaps. The Round 5 procurement will seek TA vendor applications for all seven
TA domains, but will focus on services for the following provider types: rural providers, Medi-Cal Tribal and Designee of Indian Health Program providers, maternal and child-serving providers, and transitional rent providers.
DHCS will not accept submissions for new off-the-shelf projects or changes to existing off-the-shelf projects during the Round 5 procurement period. Instead, the Round 5 application will solicit on-demand resources from existing TA vendors. The resources must be already fully developed, meet the needs of the TA Marketplace, and include a final cost. Guidance for both prospective and currently contracted TA vendors is forthcoming. Please submit questions to
ta-marketplace@ca-path.com.
PATH Capacity and Infrastructure Transition, Expansion, and Development (CITED) Round 4 Application
On January 6, DHCS will open the
PATH CITED Round 4 application window. The PATH CITED initiative provides funding to build the capacity and infrastructure of on-the-ground partners, including community-based organizations, hospitals, county agencies, Tribes, and others, to successfully participate in Medi-Cal. The deadline to apply for CITED Round 4 funding is 11:59 p.m. PST on March 7, 2025. The application preview and guidance document are forthcoming.
PATH On-Demand Resource Library
The PATH
On-Demand Resource Library provides free, static resources made available directly through the PATH website for organizations seeking to learn more about PATH and build their understanding and capacity to successfully contribute to Medi-Cal's transformation. On-demand resources are suitable for organizations at all levels of readiness for Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and/or Community Supports, including for the Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative. Organizations do not need to register as TA recipients or apply to access on-demand resources. New on-demand resources will be available in late 2024. These offerings will include California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) navigator and Medi-Cal Managed Care 101 resources.
Join Our Team
DHCS is seeking a highly skilled, exceptionally motivated individual to serve as:
- Deputy Director (DD), Health Care Benefits and Eligibility (HCBE) to lead all aspects of developing, implementing, and evaluating Medi-Cal benefits and eligibility, the Children's Health Insurance Program, the Family Planning Access, Care, and Treatment (Family PACT) Program, and other specified programs. The DD for HCBE also ensures adherence to state and federal requirements related to Tribal engagement and consultative activities and plays a key role in fulfilling DHCS' organizational purpose to provide equitable access to quality health care leading to a healthy California for all. (Final filing date: November 8)
DHCS is hiring for its auditing, health policy, information technology, and other teams. For more information, please visit the
CalCareers website.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars
Skilled Nursing Facility Workforce Standards Program
On November 6, from 10 to 11 a.m. PST, DHCS will host a provider
webinar (advance registration required) to provide an overview of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Workforce Standards Program (WSP) opt-in process launched by DHCS on October 1. This program will provide an increased Workforce Rate Adjustment to SNFs that maintain a collective bargaining agreement, participate in a statewide multi-employer labor management committee, or meet basic wages and benefit standards established by DHCS. The SNF WSP makes available more than $500 million annually to enable SNFs to recruit and retain a workforce that provides high-quality long-term care to Medi-Cal members. SNFs wishing to participate in the WSP for calendar years 2024 and 2025 must submit the required opt-in materials no later than December 1, 2024. Please visit the
SNF WSP webpage for more information.
California Children's Services (CCS) Redesign Performance Measure Quality Subcommittee Meeting
On November 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. PST, DHCS will virtually host the
CCS Redesign Performance Measure Quality Subcommittee meeting in accordance with AB 118 (Chapter 42, Statutes of 2023). DHCS and the subcommittee are working to operationalize utilization and quality measures to be reported on an annual basis that relate to CCS specialty care and report measures for both Whole Child Model and Classic CCS counties. Agenda topics for this meeting include a recap of the May 2024 meeting, preview of the demographic dimension dashboards, discussion of the measure approach and specifications, and review of stratification by CCS-eligible conditions. Additional information and meeting details are available on the
CCS Redesign Performance Measure Quality Subcommittee webpage.
Medi-Cal Children's Health Advisory Panel (MCHAP) Meeting
On November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST, DHCS will host the quarterly MCHAP meeting at 1500 Capitol Avenue, Building 172/Room 168, Sacramento, or via
public webinar. MCHAP advises DHCS on policy and operational issues that affect children in Medi-Cal. The meeting will provide an update on
Behavioral Health Transformation,
Medi-Cal's Strategy to Support Health and Opportunity for Children and Families, and
Medi-Cal dental.
Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program (HACCP) Webinars
On November 12, from 12 to 1 p.m. PST, DHCS will host the quarterly HACCP webinar for medical providers and hearing professionals. For more information and to
register, please visit DHCS'
HACCP webpage. On December 3, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST, DHCS will host a webinar to share guidance with families and community partners about applying for hearing aid coverage and maximizing HACCP benefits once enrolled. For more information and to
pre-register, please visit the
HACCP webpage.
Mandatory Enrollment for Foster Children and Youth in Single Plan Counties Meeting
On November 13, DHCS will host the final
Mandatory Enrollment for Foster Children and Youth in Single Plan Counties 2025 stakeholder meeting. The webinar will provide updates on the transition and allow stakeholders to voice their questions and concerns. To request an invitation to the stakeholder meeting series, please email
MMCDPMB@dhcs.ca.gov.
Coverage Ambassador Webinar
On November 14, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. PST, DHCS will virtually host the
Coverage Ambassador webinar (advance registration required). DHCS will discuss ways to engage with Medi-Cal members, provide information about benefits, and inform participants about how to access resources. Spanish interpretation will be provided.
DHCS Harm Reduction Summits
Registration is currently open for the DHCS Harm Reduction Summit in San Mateo County on November 19. Through these convenings, DHCS aims to collaborate with communities across the state to promote harm reduction within California's SUD treatment system and create low-barrier, patient-centered care. DHCS encourages SUD treatment providers and staff (including social workers, peers, front desk staff, case managers, nurses, physicians, and all staff in SUD treatment settings) to attend and learn about best practices for incorporating the tenets of harm reduction into SUD treatment. Additional summits will be held in Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties in winter 2025. Register on the
event website.
PATH Collaborative Planning and Implementation (CPI) Best Practices Webinar
On December 6, from 10 to 11 a.m. PST, DHCS will host a public webinar, Hospital Engagement in CalAIM: Supporting Connection to ECM Services Among Eligible Medi-Cal Members (advance registration required). Guest presenters include Dignity Health, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, and Marshall Medical Center. The webinar will explain and emphasize the value of hospitals engaging with CalAIM providers in their region, recognize opportunities for improved collaboration on discharge planning between hospital staff and ECM or Community Supports providers, and identify opportunities for warm handoffs and other coordination strategies between hospital staff and ECM providers to improve member connection to ECM and Community Supports services. Please submit questions to collaborative@ca-path.com.
