CIN Community,

This month we are pleased to share with you two new CIN resources that can help with a central pain point we are hearing about from all corners of CIN – workforce recruitment and retention. See below for details. 

On the topic of workforce, Healthforce Center at UCSF, which manages CIN, has launched a new health workforce policy initiative, funded by a five-year grant from The California Endowment. As with CIN, this initiative is grounded in equity and aims to improve the health of all people in California. It envisions “a collective effort that prioritizes systems and policy changes to advance the diversity and skills of workers to ensure better economic opportunity and, ultimately, better health for communities.” Read the announcement and join the Healthforce Center mailing list to get involved!

If you ever have resources that would benefit the CIN community, please let us know!

In health,

The California Improvement Network Team

Today’s tight labor market and post-pandemic burnout means medical and social services organizations alike are struggling to recruit and retain staff all along the spectrums of skills and credentialing. To help, two new resources from CIN offer workforce strategies and insights.

The first resource synthesizes ideas from Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, chief executive officer of Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), on what workers require in today’s environment and how organizations can adapt recruitment and retention strategies to ensure they have and keep the workforce they need.

The second resource offers approaches from three CIN partner organizations on how to develop workforce pathways, including how to partner with other organizations and how to prioritize lived experience among staff. Thanks to Nancy Wongvipat Kalev of Health Net, Chris Meyers of United Indian Health Services, Inc., and Al Rowlett of Turning Point Community Programs for their contributions!

Congratulations to CIN partner organization Community Bridges on the opening of a new adult day health center in Watsonville!

Adult day health centers are crucial to enabling older folks with medical needs to live at home for as long as possible by offering daytime services that include transportation, meals, activities, medical services, and other resources. The new 12,591-square-foot facility includes a main room with a stage, gym, game room, computer and art room, an examination room, and office space.

Community Bridges, which serves the central coast region, had run its prior facility in Santa Cruz since 1981. The new Elderday Center will better support a wider variety of complex client cases. 

Counties Lean into CalAIM: The Ups and Downs

Under CalAIM, California’s five-year effort to transform the state’s Medi-Cal program, county health systems continue to play an important role as care providers and partners to managed care plans and as local organizations that support Medi-Cal members.

Recent interviews with health administrators from Alameda, Contra Costa, Placer, and Ventura Counties convey how they have adapted to CalAIM and implementation of Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports. In this brief from the California Health Care Foundation, they discuss what has worked well and what still needs improvement in CalAIM implementation, and touch on housing insecurity, behavioral health, workforce support, data exchange, billing processes, and payment issues.

As medical and social service organizations continue to address health inequities, building successful community programs is critical. Creating and improving such programs requires community engagement through interviews, meetings, surveys, etc. It’s just and necessary for organizations to fairly compensate community members who contribute their time and knowledge to these efforts. A brief from the Center for Health Care Strategies offers guidance to help organizations develop and implement equitable compensation practices.

Cross-sector partnerships among medical and social service organizations are essential to support community health needs. Such partnerships require a clear articulation of expectations and cost-benefit projections at the outset to track value and sustainability. One way to capture goals is through a return on investment (ROI) calculator.

With the support of the Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation, HealthBegins has created a new ROI calculator based on national averages and benchmark data. While ROI is an important aspect to consider when developing partnerships, managers should also be sure to capture other key metrics such as patient outcomes and client satisfaction.

Workforce Development Resources for Community Health Workers and Promotores

Health care providers across California are looking at how to improve the size, impact, and effectiveness of the community health workers/promotores workforce now that their labor is eligible for reimbursement from Medi-Cal. A resource library from Health Leads offers a growing set of tools in Spanish and English to support revenue streams, operations, and business development.

Resources cover topics such as financing models, revenue cycles, medical billing, and contracting guides and templates, as well as worker recruitment, retention, performance evaluation, and growth plans.