SANTA BARBARA, CA – January 16, 2019 –  CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan that administers Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties announced today the release of its 2018 Community Report. New this year is an entirely-digital format, complete with videos, audio testimonials and animation. In the past, the organization has issued the standard printed report but made the switch this year coinciding with its 35^th anniversary in Santa Barbara County. A decade ago, the organization expanded coverage to San Luis Obispo County. CenCal Health now serves more than 175,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries in their two-county service area on the Central Coast.

The outline of the digital report follows a traditional hardcopy format: a message from the CEO, its mission and vision, achievements, leadership and financial information. But the online format allows content to be easily shared and repurposed. Most importantly, this year’s report displays key data in a unique way that interacts with the viewer.

“We wanted our report to the community to engage our stakeholders in a different way,” says Bob Freeman, CenCal Health CEO. “We recognize that most people today access information via digital means, especially phones, tablets and laptops. Therefore we believe a digital format is the best way to make our efforts, successes and value more readily available to the viewer.”

The report’s content options include a video message from Freeman, animated key indicators, photo collages of providers, audio testimonials and more. Topics highlighted include CenCal Health’s quality scores, its partnerships with other community-based organizations, how it improves access to care, and how it addresses social determinants of health. Also included are comments from anonymous members.

For 2018, the organization reports that its network physicians’ data resulted in the highest quality scores in CenCal Health’s history. Also notable: CenCal Health is one of the first local health plans selected by the State of California to transition responsibilities for the new Whole Child Model. The Whole Child Model gives all responsibilities for care coordination – for specific, severe medical conditions that fall under California Children’s Services – to a Medi-Cal-eligible child’s health plan, rather than splitting care coordination responsibilities between two different organizations. The report includes a video featuring a member’s mother discussing the transition.

By increasing the community report’s viewership, CenCal Health hopes to dispel unflattering stereotypes of Medi-Cal members, tens of thousands of whom gained coverage as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

The report was created by the CenCal Health Communications and Community Relations department with the help of local Santa Barbara marketing agency, Idea Engineering. CenCal Health’s 2018 Community Report is available on its website cencalhealth.org or directly at cencal2018.org

About CenCal Health

Serving the community since 1983, CenCal Health provides comprehensive health coverage to nearly 180,000 men, women and children enrolled in Medi-Cal. This regional health plan partners with over 1,500 local physicians and other providers to deliver quality patient care to approximately 1 in 4 residents of Santa Barbara County and 1 in 5 residents of San Luis Obispo County. CenCal Health also collaborates with community-based organizations to address social determinants of health while increasing members’ access to medical care and reducing costs. The oldest Medicaid managed care plan of its kind, CenCal Health is a local public agency that employs close to 250 people at offices in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. For more information, visit cencalhealth.org

CenCal Health Contact:
Nicolette Worley Marselian
(805) 685-9525 ext,1993   
nworleymarselian@cencalhealth.org

Media Contact:
Sheri Mobley
(805) 845-5627 
(213) 509-9816  
sheri@seamlesspr.com