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SLO County Health Access Update
Connecting Children Ages 0-5 to Health Care
February 2022
Information and articles from these newsletters are housed on the San Luis Obispo County Health Access website. The website is updated frequently and is intended as a resource for professionals working with children ages 0-5 and their families. Please visit: SLOHealthAccess.org
New Pediatric Clinic Accepting Medi-Cal
A new pediatric clinic is open and accepting patients who have Medi-Cal or private insurance. Dignity Health's Pismo Beach Pediatric Center is now open with three pediatricians practicing on-site, Dr. Lim, Dr. Tam, and Dr. Davenport.

Parents can schedule appointments by calling 805-549-6915.
Health Literacy Resources
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Working with parents? Looking for brief information on health literacy topics? CAPSLO Health and Nutrition staff have paired handouts and videos on a variety of topics to support parents learning about their and their children's health. You can access these by clicking here to see all the handouts and video links by topic. Topics include:
  • Sleep
  • Healthy Snacks & Activity
  • Nutrition
  • Sunscreen
  • Vitamins
  • Dental Visits
  • Asthma Triggers
  • and many more!
2022 Tax Time
The Child Tax Credit can help low-income families with thousands of dollars. If you know of any families who have not received the CTC and might be eligible, they can learn more at getyourrefund.org.

Families who have not received the Child Tax Credit will need to file 2022 taxes to claim it. United Way is providing free in-person tax help for income-qualifying households. For an in-person schedule as well as a link to free online tax help, click here: https://www.unitedwayslo.org/taxes.
Updated mental health care referral information
CenCal Health now directly provides managed care for mental health care and ABA services. Members with mild to moderate conditions should contact CenCal Health at (877) 814-1861 to set up care or they can schedule directly with a contracted provider. To find a contracted mental health provider, visit https://www.cencalhealth.org/providers/behavioral-health.
To assist parents in finding the right treatment for their children, the Health Access Training Project provides the handout Finding the Right Mental Health Therapist for your child 0 - 5. Please download and distribute to parents and caregivers.

For additional mental health resources, visit our webpage at SLOHealthAccess.org/behavioral-health.html.
Trauma-Informed Care: Tip of the Month
Trauma recovery requires safe, supportive relationships, healthy self-care skills and positive choice-making. Many families don't have models for healthy relationships, positive communication and nurturing self care. Invite clients to be kind towards themselves and curious about their strengths.

TIP: Practice noticing positive attributes about yourself and your clients. Share positive observations about clients' and families' strengths with them.
Local Health Referral Information at SLOHealthAccess.org
SLOHealthAccess.org has a wealth of information to help you help families, with local resources related to:
  • Practical Resources for Basic Needs
  • Behavioral Health
  • Immigration: safety and service access  
  • Dental
  • Prescriptions
  • Medi-Cal & Covered CA
  • Transportation
  • Special Needs   
  • Parental Substance Use, and 
  • Resources to help parents advocate for services

General needs and system navigation:
Send families in need of help to their local Family Resource Center.

Can't find an answer? 
Let us know and we will find you the information you are looking for. For general questions about health access and health care reform, contact:
Becca Carsel, Health Access Project Director, 
at (805) 674-0776 or becca@carselgroup.com