SANTA BARBARA, CA – March 10, 2020 –  CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, announced today the release of its 2019 Community Report. The entirely-digital format communicates the local health plan’s mission and vision, programs and projects, achievements, leadership and financial information through multimedia. New this year: the full report is translated in Spanish. CenCal Health serves more than 175,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries in its two-county service area on the Central Coast.

The online community report with video, audio testimonials and animation allows content to be easily shared and repurposed. Most importantly, the report displays key data in a unique way that interacts with the viewer. By increasing the community report’s viewership, CenCal Health hopes to dispel unflattering stereotypes of Medi-Cal beneficiaries, tens of thousands of whom gained coverage as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

“The structure of the 2019 Community Report reinforces our health plan’s motto of Local. Quality. Healthcare,” said Bob Freeman, CenCal Health CEO.  “We have three separate sections that each delve into what local, quality healthcare looked like last year for our members and our provider partners. It also shows what sets CenCal Health apart from other health plans.”

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 is addressing high-profile health concerns such as vaping and vaccine-hesitancy.

For 2019, the organization reports that it was one of five health plans in the United States selected to participate with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in a two-year learning collaborative to improve health outcomes for adolescents with depression. In addition, the report covers the 2019 DHCS Innovation Award presented to CenCal Health for their HPV vaccination pilot, as well the local health plan’s No. 2 ranking out of 23 Medi-Cal plans for children’s preventive care rates.

CenCal Health’s 2019 Community Report is available from its website cencalhealth.org or directly at cencal2019.org

About CenCal Health

CenCal Health’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves by providing access to high quality health services, along with education and outreach, for our membership. As a public entity, CenCal Health is a community-accountable health plan partnering with over 1,500 local physicians, hospitals and other providers in delivering exceptional patient care to more than 175,000 members – about one in four residents of Santa Barbara County and one in five residents of San Luis Obispo County. Established in 1983, it is the oldest managed Medicaid plan of its kind in the nation. CenCal Health employs close to 250 people at offices in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and contributes approximately $50 million a month into the local economy, primarily through payments to healthcare providers who serve our membership. 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