On October 23, 2024, IEHP Foundation hosted its final IE Vibrant Health Forum of 2024, Connecting to CalAIM: Improving well-being and whole person care through CalAIM and Community Health Workers (CHWs).  

The forum brought together hundreds of community leaders and organizations across the Inland Empire to learn about and discuss how to engage with CalAIM effectively.    

Local healthcare experts highlighted ways local CBOs can participate in CalAIM and utilize programs such as community supports, enhanced care management (ECM), and community health workers (CHWs) to offer or refer community members to non-traditional healthcare resources.  

What is CalAIM?  

Dora Barilla, President and Co-founder of HC2 Strategies, provided an in-depth introduction to CalAIM. Barilla explained that CalAIM represents a long-term commitment to transform and strengthen Medi-Cal, offering Californians a more equitable, coordinated and person-centered approach to maximizing health and well-being. Medi-Cal members can access new and improved services in and outside doctors’ offices or hospitals to address physical, mental, and social needs.  

“At the end of the day, it’s about building a connected community of care,” Barilla stated.  

Matthew Wray, Director of Healthy Services Special Initiatives at IEHP, explained that Enhanced Care Management (ECM) is designed for the highest-need members, providing intensive coordination of health and health-related services. The overall goal of the ECM benefit is to deliver comprehensive care and achieve better health outcomes for the highest-need beneficiaries in Medi-Cal by:  

• Improving care coordination  

• Integrating services  

• Facilitating access to community resources  

• Addressing social determinants of health  

• Improving health outcomes  

• Decreasing inappropriate utilization and duplication of services  

Carmen Vega, Director of Community Supports at IEHP, shared the program’s purpose within CalAIM and how nonprofits can become providers or referral sources. Vega described that Community Supports can include:  

• Asthma remediation  

• Community transition services, including nursing facility transition to home  

• Housing deposits  

• Housing tenancy and sustaining services  

• Housing transition navigation services  

• Medical supportive food (e.g., meals, medically tailored meals)  

• Nursing facility transition/diversion to assisted living facilities  

• Recuperative care (medical respite)  

• Short-term post-hospitalization housing programs  

• Sobering centers (in Riverside County)  

• Respite services for qualified caregivers  

• Day habilitation programs  

• Personal care and homemaker services  

Utilizing Community Health Workers  

IEHP representatives from community-based organization services, Tarnia Stanley and Linzey Ledesma, discussed how nonprofits can utilize CHWs to connect with community members, improve health information access, and ultimately enhance health outcomes. A CHW is a trusted, non-licensed public health worker who engages with the community to facilitate access to services, improve health outcomes, and increase health literacy and self-sufficiency through outreach, education, counseling, support and advocacy.  

Attendees learned about the significant impact CHWs can have on the community and how to work with local health plans to bill for these services. Cory Hollaman, Executive Director of 2020 Vision Youth, provided real-life examples of how his team successfully engaged with CalAIM and incorporated CHWs to foster a healthy atmosphere for the families they serve. Hollaman spoke earnestly about the process of training his team to bill for services and navigate the complexities of the CalAIM system. Through extensive learning and collaboration, 2020 Vision Youth effectively engages with CalAIM and utilizes CHWs to expand its reach and better serve its communities.  

How to Engage with CalAim   

Community-based organizations and local nonprofits can play a critical role in CalAIM by connecting clients to these new benefits and providing social and health services to individuals and their families. Through CalAIM CBOs can:  

• Refer community members to access care   

• Expand and coordinate services for clients by connecting with other providers.  

• Engage in PATH Collaborative Planning and Implementation Groups  

• Access CalAIM funding opportunities  

• Apply for Path CITED to engage in CalAIM  

To learn more, explore our vast list of resources here or watch the recorded presentations here.