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Updates and
Announcements
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CalOptima Community Announcements Transition to Every Other Week |
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, CalOptima has shared the Community Announcements on a weekly basis. Effective October 1, the CalOptima Community Announcements will transition to every other week and will continue to provide COVID-19 related information and important community news. All announcements will continue being posted on the CalOptima website here. |
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California Becomes First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools |
California became the first state to announce plans of adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required for school. Eligible students will be required to be vaccinated for in-person learning starting the term following the Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the vaccine for age groups within a grade span, with ages 12+ corresponding to grades 7–12 and ages 5–11 corresponding to grades K–6. Students who are under the age of full approval but within the grade span will be required to be vaccinated once they reach the age of full approval (with a reasonable period of time to receive both doses), consistent with existing procedures for other vaccines. Based on current information, the requirement is expected to apply to grades 7-12 starting on July 1, 2022. However, local health jurisdictions and local education agencies are encouraged to implement requirements ahead of a statewide requirement based on their local circumstances. Click here for more information. |
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Mandatory Vaccines for Senior Care Facility Workers |
On September 28, the California State Public Health Officer issued a new health order to address mandatory vaccination for workers in adult and senior care facilities, workers providing services in a recipient’s home and others. Workers identified in the health order must have their first dose of a one-dose regimen or their second dose of a two-dose regimen by November 30, 2021, with limited exemptions. The full state health order, including a list of other workers covered by the order can be found here. |
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CDC Health Advisory on COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant People |
On September 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new health advisory recommending urgent action to increase COVID-19 vaccination among people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), trying to become pregnant or might become pregnant in the future. For the full CDC health advisory, click here. |
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COVID-19 Hot Topics from UCI |
CalOptima partners with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) for regular contributions to the Community Announcements. The contributions are COVID-19 hot topics from UCI infectious disease experts.
This week’s articles address booster shots for adults, when COVID vaccines for younger school-age children may be expected and protecting yourself from the flu. Click here to read about these hot topics.
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CalOptima PACE Celebrates Its 8th Anniversary |
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On Friday, October 1, CalOptima PACE celebrated its 8th anniversary with a drive-thru senior health and wellness event for PACE participants and their families at the agency’s PACE Center in Garden Grove. PACE’s purple vans transported participants to the center parking lot, which was lined with health information booths and fun, interactive games facilitated by PACE staff. In addition, PACE staff provided comprehensive social and health care services while adhering to social distancing and infection control guidelines.
During the event, CalOptima PACE Director Monica Macias gave Chief Executive Officer Richard Sanchez and Chief Operating Officer Yunkyung Kim a tour of the PACE Center, including areas that have been recently remodeled or are undergoing remodeling. They were joined by PACE Center Manager Hashim Qureshi and PACE Clinic Operations Manager Christine Sisil.
To learn more about CalOptima PACE, click here. |
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CalOptima Receives mPulse Mobile Achieving Health Equity Award |
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On September 30, CalOptima received mPulse Mobile Activate 2021 Achieving Health Equity Award in recognition of the agency's member texting program to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake in our vulnerable populations. During the virtual conference's Building Program Value panel, CalOptima Director of Population Health Management Pshyra Jones joined representatives from The Health Plan (a West Virginia managed care organization) and Western Sky Community Care to discuss outreach efforts to the populations each organization serves. Pshyra shared how CalOptima’s outreach through texting combined messages about member health rewards, mobile vaccine clinics and vaccine safety.
CalOptima's texting and other outreach have resulted in more than 404,000 of CalOptima's more than 847,000 members getting vaccinated, bringing about more health equity between Medi-Cal members and the general population. As of September 28, 61% of CalOptima's members age 12 and older have received COVID-19 vaccines. CalOptima’s vaccination rate surpasses the overall vaccination rate for Medi-Cal members (56%) and is growing closer to the statewide vaccination rate for the general population (76%).
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Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit |
The 2nd Edition of the OC Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit developed by the Orange County Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder Collaborative is now available. The toolkit offers a variety of resources such as printable screening tools, informational brochures, including information about local support groups and treatment programs offered in different languages; AB 241- compliant implicit bias training and billing and Medi-Cal extension information. Click here to access the toolkit. |
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State Park Adventure Pass |
Effective September 29, fourth graders can apply for the State Park Adventure Pass that will give them the opportunity to explore 19 select state parks for free for a full year. Applying for the free pass can be done online or in-person. For detailed information on the program and the list of participating park units, click here. |
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Master Plan for Aging — Hubs & Spokes Initiative
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As part of the State’s Master Plan for Aging, the California Department of Aging (CDA) has a new initiative to develop a strong Hubs & Spokes Network for aging and adult services statewide. The state is calling for renewed leadership at all levels, including the Area Agency on Aging structure and the way that aging services are delivered. Register to attend the CDA Stakeholder Town Hall on October 12 for Southern California by clicking here, and complete a stakeholder survey by October 15 by clicking here. |
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Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ+ Individuals |
The Office of Care Coordination will be hosting a training on best practices for serving LGBTQ+ individuals. The training will focus on how service providers can incorporate trauma-informed care into service delivery to ensure safe and welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals. The training will take place on October 15 from 10 –11 a.m. Click here to register. |
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Older Adult Mental Health Training for Professionals |
Join the Be Well Orange County Older Adult Work Group and the Orange County Aging Services Collaborative for a free training on older adult mental health. The training will take place on October 29 from 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. Click here to access the flyer and click here to RSVP. |
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Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention for Parents and Communities |
Join the California Department of Public Health for a free webinar session for parents and community members on lead poisoning prevention, featuring University of Southern California Assistant Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences Jill Johnston, Ph.D. Attendees will learn about what lead is, how it impacts children's health, how to prevent lead poisoning and how parents can get involved in their communities. The webinar will take place on October 27 from 1–2 p.m. and will offer closed captioning and real-time Spanish language translations. Click here to register. |
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Mental Health First Aid for Adults |
Join Hoag for a Mental Health First Aid training course designed to give members of the public key skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The free virtual certification training will be divided into two days — October 13 and October 20 from 8:30 a.m. –12:30 p.m. Click here to learn more. |
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How to Contact CalOptima During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
CalOptima Customer Service remains ready to respond to member needs, as we adhere to guidelines to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 transmission. Our building is closed to visitors. Members can call Customer Service from the safety of their home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have staff who speak their language. Members can also visit www.caloptima.org and access their member portal. |
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CalOptima, A Public Agency www.caloptima.org
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