Local health plan presents yearly review of work, collaborations in two counties on Central Coast
New initiatives support street medicine, housing, student mental health among other community needs
CenCal Health, the Medi-Cal health plan for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, presented its 2025 Community Report at a regular bimonthly meeting of its Board of Directors, held this month in San Luis Obispo. With the title Building Healthier Communities, Together, the annual report looks back at 2024 challenges and accomplishments for the local safety net program, as well as outlining opportunities and investments for 2025. Central themes and projects reported include new and on-going collaborations with healthcare providers and community partners, the role of the groundbreaking California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal initiative called CalAIM, and recent investments in programs that support unhoused individuals with both coordinated health services and housing, as well as providing student behavioral health in schools.
“The healthcare landscape is profoundly shaped by the relationships we build at the local level—especially with those on the front lines, such as our primary care providers, mental health professionals, community health workers, and community partners, who witness firsthand the impacts of our work,” said Kieran Shah, VNA Health President & CEO, and CenCal Health Board Chair. “When we collaborate, leveraging each other’s strengths and insights, we can better serve our members, patients, and clients. Investment in our communities’ healthcare safety net is critical, and CenCal Health is committed to walking together with each of our partners for the benefit of the communities we serve.”
CenCal Health is the first Medicaid managed care plan of its kind in the nation, founded in Santa Barbara in 1983. It provides Medicaid coverage – known as Medi-Cal in California – to low-income individuals and families in its two-county coverage area. In Santa Barbara County, one in three residents are CenCal Health plan members, while in San Luis Obispo County, one in four residents are members. Over 35% of the local health plan’s membership are children and teens.
This year’s report is all-digital and in multi-media – illustrated with video and infographics throughout. It is available to the public online at CenCal2025.org. Highlights of the report include:
Network of Care Through Local Providers
CenCal Health collaborates with a diverse network of medical professionals to deliver a broad spectrum of high-quality care, from preventive care to specialized treatments. The health plan’s network currently has 1,873 local physicians, 1,466 specialty physicians, and 41 federally qualified health center sites. To support the region’s healthcare needs, particularly in accessing primary care, CenCal Health launched the Quality Care Incentive Program in March 2022. This program rewards local Medi-Cal providers who excel in essential services, such as diabetes and asthma management, cancer screenings, and child/adolescent well visits. To date, $39.6 million has been dispersed to local primary care providers, resulting in significant improvements in areas such as antidepressant management and well-child visit utilization for infants. Among Medicaid plans nationwide, CenCal Health ranks in the top fifth percentile for these three quality care measurements – well-child visits for ages 15 months to 30 months in Santa Barbara County, lower percentage of members with A1C poor control or poorly-controlled diabetes in San Luis Obispo County, and, in both counties, timeliness of postpartum care.
In 2025, CenCal Health launched the $6 million Medi-Cal Capacity, Access, and Workforce Development Grant Program. This three-year initiative is a collaboration with local providers to enhance healthcare access by recruiting, training, and supporting professionals, ultimately increasing the number of providers in the region and improving the health and well-being of all residents.
Local Impact of CalAIM, the Initiative to Transform Medi-Cal
CalAIM empowers Medi-Cal members by addressing critical social and economic factors that affect health, such as food insecurity and housing instability. Spearheaded by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), CalAIM represents a transformative strategy to improve the integration of social services within the Medi-Cal program. Local results, to date, include
• 15,947 members received Community Supports to address complex factors affecting their health, like lack of food, housing, and substance use.
• 1,312,545 meals and grocery boxes were provided to enhance nutritional wellness and address the complex health needs of members.
• $15,313,869 was paid out to providers via the Incentive Payment Program to improve members’ access to CalAIM services.
• $8,328,357 was distributed to service providers to prevent homelessness and enhance housing stability through the Housing and Homelessness
Incentive Program.
Enhancing Community Health Through Partnerships
The Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program, developed by DHCS, is a vital part of the CalAIM strategy to combat homelessness. CenCal Health secured approval for its Homelessness Plan in November 2022, and since then has channeled $19.4 million to 24 organizations dedicated to aiding the unhoused. Partnerships with local agencies and nonprofits – like 5Cities Homeless Coalition and Good Samaritan Shelter – have impacted over 1,200 individuals through healthcare services, helping more than 3,000 formerly homeless members secure stable housing, with nearly 89% maintaining it.
The Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program, also part of CalAIM, was created to address students’ behavioral health needs from an early age. Over the past two years, CenCal Health partnered with local educational agencies in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, transforming mental health services and supporting 40,000 K-12 students in achieving emotional wellness, as well as training 300 school staff members to address students’ behavioral health needs.
“I am pleased to present CenCal Health’s 2025 Community Report, which showcases our dedication to working with our partners to build healthier communities together,” said CenCal Health CEO Marina Owen. “As we reflect on our successes and progress from 2024 and early 2025, it’s evident that collaborations are essential in shaping both the current healthcare landscape and ensuring quality care for our members and communities in the future.”
More information on CenCal Health is available at cencalhealth.org.
About CenCal Health
CenCal Health is the local Medi-Cal health plan that partners with over 1,800 physicians, plus hospitals, clinics and other providers, in delivering health care services to more than 240,000 members in its two-county service area – one in three residents of Santa Barbara County and one in four residents of San Luis Obispo County. Marking four decades of serving the most vulnerable, CenCal Health prioritizes cultivating community partnerships; advancing quality and health equity; expanding its service role and reach in the community; and organizing for impact and effectiveness. With a vision to be a trusted leader in advancing health equity so that the communities we serve thrive and achieve optimal health, CenCal Health invites the public to review its 2025 Community Report at CenCal2025.org
Media Contact: Sheri Mobley sheri@seamlesspr.com
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