On Saturday, April 1, CalOptima Health, in partnership with the City of Garden Grove and Healthcare in Action, launched Orange County’s first “street medicine” program to deliver health care services to the homeless.
CalOptima, which is Orange County’s Medi-Cal plan for low-income populations, developed the program based on the view that “housing is health” and is contracting with Healthcare in Action deliver primary care to up to 200 CalOptima clients by canvassing Garden Grove in a medical van. These teams will connect of homeless individuals living in parks, under freeways and other unsheltered spaces. Services will include primary care, behavioral health and case management but also the expanded whole-person care resources now available through CalAIM, a state initiative offering a new set of Medi-Cal benefits that includes housing services.
The Garden Grove program will deploy two teams that do complementary work. A medical team with a physician assistant and registered nurse will provide primary care and clinical management, and a peer navigator team with two staff who have lived experience will offer supportive services and community resources.
“CalOptima Health street medicine is different than other programs,” said Kelly Bruno-Nelson, Executive Director, Medi-Cal/CalAIM. “Members are assigned to Healthcare in Action’s providers and can rely on them just like other patients do with their doctors in ‘brick-and-mortar’ locations. We want to foster long-term connections and trust that lead to ongoing medical care and expanded social support. This is not just urgent care on the streets — it’s so much more.”
CalOptima selected Healthcare in Action last fall based on its experience, capacity, and ability to launch the street medicine program in the desired timeframe. $4 million in funding will support two years of operations, and the unique managed care model will then be sustained after the initial two years through State Medi-Cal reimbursement. The program is the latest in a longstanding effort by CalOptima Health’s Board to provide funding and innovations that address local homeless health needs. In March 2023, the Board awarded $29.9 million in community grants to organizations serving the population, with $21 million going toward 400 permanent supportive housing units. CalOptima Health’s overarching goal is to reduce health disparities across the county.
“Healthcare in Action is proud to partner with CalOptima Health and support their commitment to unhoused members,” said Michael Hochman, M.D., CEO of Healthcare in Action. “Since our inception in 2022, we have seen the success of approaching the homelessness crisis through the lens of health care. Through our unique ‘street based’ model, we are able to provide sustainable, primary care addressing the complex medical and social needs of this population, and we look forward to bringing that to individuals in the City of Garden Grove.”
“Garden Grove is proud to be the first Orange County city to provide this very unique medical outreach program to our homeless community, in partnership with CalOptima Health and Healthcare in Action,” said Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones. “Our street medicine program complements a number of other programs Garden Grove has proactively implemented, and will continue doing, to achieve beneficial solutions to homelessness.”
