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Policy & Advocacy Resources

Our advocacy work covers the broad span of local, State, and Federal issues that affect our members and consumers of health care in Los Angeles County. Below are some useful resources for advocacy at all levels of government.

Immigration Resources

Posted: December 13, 2018

Public Charge Resources

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) related to public charge continues to move through the administrative rule-making process. The public comment period closed on December 10, 2018. CCALAC’s comments can be viewed here.

The administration must review and respond to all public comments before issuing a final rule. The proposed changes have not been finalized or taken effect, current public charge policy remains in place for immigrants residing in the U.S.

Resources for Health Centers:

Resources in English & Spanish:

Collections of Public Charge Resources:

Legal Resources:

Know Your Rights Resources

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

On Sept. 5, 2017, the Trump administration announced it is terminating the DACA program. Congress has been unable to reach a solution protecting DACA recipients and other eligible individuals. Due to a court order, USCIS is currently accepting DACA renewal applications (but not new DACA applications). Employment authorization documents (EAD) remain valid until the expiration date.

Immigration Policies & Procedures

“Sensitive Locations” Guidance and Resources

LA County

City of Los Angeles

CPCA

Find an Immigration Attorney

Immigration attorneys must have a law license, verify it here.

Behavioral Health Toolkit

Posted: May 23, 2018

This toolkit aims to support LA County organizations in establishing meaningful and sustainable relationships to jointly serve LA County residents.

Please contact Becky Lee at blee@ccalac.org with any questions.

 

Tool Kit Resource (Click on the links below)
Maps

Tools to help locate medical, mental health, and substance use disorder treatment services.

 Interactive/ Searchable Health Providers Map

Service Planning Area Maps
Find a Clinic Find a Clinic tool
LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) Referral Pathways DMH website

Service Area Navigators

Services Locator

ACCESS Hotline:  1-800-854-7771
DMH Health Coalition Meetings Health Neighborhood information and meetings

DMH Service Area Advisory Committees
LA County Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (DPH-SAPC) Referral Pathways

 

 DPH-SAPC website

Eligibility information

Service & Bed Availability Tool (SBAT)

Substance Abuse Service Helpline (SASH): 1-844-804-7500
Social Services Directories

 

 211 LA County

211 LA is the central source for providing information and referrals for all health and human services in LA County.

One Degree LA

One Degree makes it easy to find food, housing, job training, after-school programs, and much more.
Model Agreements

MOU templates to help facilitate collaborative relationships between various providers.

Disclaimer: The information presented does not constitute legal advice.

 PCP and DMH MOU template

PCP and SUD MOU template

Co-location MOU template
Consent Forms DMH:

DMH Consent Services Form

DMH Authorization For Use Or Disclosure Of Protected Health Information

DPH-SAPC:

DPH-SAPC Release of Information- In SAPC SUD Provider Network

DPH-SAPC Release of Information- Outside SAPC SUD Provider Network
Contracting Guide

Information for organizations who want to contract with DMH, DPH-SAPC, and DHS.

 DMH Master Agreement List

DPH-SAPC Master Agreement List

DHS Master Agreement List
Warm Hand Off Guides

Policies and procedures samples.

 Valley Community Healthcare:

Illustrations

Policies and procedures

 St. John’s Well Child and Family Center policies and procedures

 Venice Family Clinic procedures
Case Conferencing Guides Case conferencing for internal staff

 Clinical/Case Presentation Format
Telemedicine Guides Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc.:

Telepyschiatry Policy

Telehealth Policy
Data Sharing Guide State of California Office of Health Information Integrity: State Health Information Guidance on Sharing BH Information in CA
Trainings

Trainings on behavioral health integration.

 Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County Training Center

Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Training and Workforce Development

DPH-SAPC Trainings

UC Davis/UC Irvine Train New Trainers Primary Care Psychiatry Fellowship
Behavioral Health Toolkits Integrated Behavioral Health Partners

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Advancing Behavioral Health Integration

Updated 6/14/2018

District Profiles

Posted: April 2, 2018

The following profiles give a snap-shot of the clinics and the patients they serve at the local, State, and Federal district levels. These profiles reflect data from the Office of State Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). Each district profile includes patient information, payer information, and a map. (more…)

2017 NACHC Policy & Issues Materials

Posted: January 12, 2018

Social Media for LA County Elected Officials

Posted: June 11, 2017

(more…)

Whole Person Care Overview

Posted: December 21, 2016

WPC Overview Slides by Clemens Hong, MD, MPH

Relationship Between Patient Panel Characteristics and Primary Care Physician Clinical Performance Rankings (February 7, 2011)

Post-Election Advocacy Resources

Posted: December 13, 2016

The following is a collection of advocacy resources that can be used when speaking to patients, staff, elected officials, and other external stakeholders.

Please be sure to check for updates throughout the year.

(more…)

Resources for a Successful Voter Registration Campaign

Posted: August 16, 2016

A volunteer at Westside Family Health Center does voter registration during National Health Center Week 2016.
A volunteer at Westside Family Health Center does voter registration during National Health Center Week 2016.

In Los Angeles County, community health centers are in a unique position to increase voter registration and get out the vote because of the their deep ties to the community.

There are many things to consider when planning a voter registration and voter engagement campaign. Since community health centers are 501(c)3s and health care providers, there are certain legal requirements they must adhere to comply with their tax exempt status and to be considerate to their patients privacy.
(more…)

Next Steps: SB 75

Posted: June 16, 2016

image from The California Endowment

Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 75, individuals under age 19, up to 266 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), who do not have, or are unable to establish, satisfactory immigration status, are now eligible for full scope Medi-Cal benefits. The necessary system updates in CalHEERS and the State Automated Welfare Systems (SAWS) were completed on time and the official implementation of SB 75 began as scheduled on May 16. In LA County the Department of Public and Social Services (DPSS) transitioned children from restricted scope to full scope in a series of batch transactions the week of May 16. Cases that did not transition successfully will be verified manually by DPSS staff. DPSS aims to complete the manual transition of remaining cases by the end of June. Medi-Cal effective date will be May 1 for all of these children, regardless of whether they transitioned in May or June.

CCALAC has compiled resources that enrollment staff and families can use to help answer questions about this transition. (more…)

SB 75 Training Presentation

Posted: April 7, 2016

Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 75, Medi-Cal eligible individuals under age 19, up to 266 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), who do not have, or are unable to establish, satisfactory immigration status, will be provided with full scope Medi-Cal benefits starting no sooner than May 1, 2016. CCALAC provided the Outreach, Enrollment and Retention Peer Network with a slide deck to assist with training other clinic staff on SB 75 implementation. Members are free to use and/or modify the slides as they see fit. The presentation will be updated if and when information changes or as additional information becomes available.

SB 75 Health4All Kids Update PowerPoint (Current as of May 6, 2016)

My Health LA Promotional Materials

Posted: March 15, 2016

CCALAC and Fenton Communications have worked on communication materials clinics and external partners can use to help address barriers that may be preventing My Health LA participants from enrolling into and staying in the program. CCALAC and Fenton worked with CCALAC Member clinic staff and external stakeholders to craft a message and create materials clinics and external stakeholders will be able to use to address these barriers. (more…)

Updated Family PACT Client Eligibility Determination

Posted: November 12, 2015

This week’s featured resource is the recently updated Family PACT Client Eligibility Determination Policy and eligibility forms!

The October Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (Family PACT) update bulletin was posted to the Medi-Cal website on October 16, and includes important updates to the Client Eligibility Determination Policy.

Effective November 1, 2015, the Family PACT program’s eligibility determination policy has been updated to reflect the use of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) counting rules for eligibility determination in order to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to clarify policy regarding other health coverage and confidentiality.

The Client Eligibility Certification (CEC) form (DHCS 4461) and the Retroactive Eligibility Certification (REC) form (DHCS 4001), have been updated to reflect these changes, effective November 1. The forms can be found, in English and Spanish, on the Family PACT website. Please note that the new language on the forms refers to taxable household income and claimed dependents, which may be more confusing for some patients than the old forms.

Dispensaries at Community Clinics: Ensuring Patient-Centered Medication Access

Posted: July 16, 2015

While community clinics are proponents of and continue to pave the way in terms of transforming care delivery, they currently operate a credible, patient-intuitive dispensary model that works for all their patients. Dispensaries associated with safety-net clinics play a critical role in making medications accessible for underserved patients, especially those enrolled in the My Health LA (MHLA) program.

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Primary Care Funding Cliff

Posted: March 10, 2015

What is After the Primary Care Funding Cliff?In the fall of 2015, Health Centers faced a Primary Care Funding Cliff. The Health Centers Fund, which makes up more than half of all funding for the Health Centers Program, was slated to expire unless action was taken by members of Congress. Without the Health Centers Fund, health centers would see up to 70 percent in reductions in grant funding, forcing reduction or elimination of health care services and access in some of the nation’s most vulnerable communities. In LA County, health centers would lose an estimated $262,360,943 without this critical federal funding.

Thanks to the efforts of health center advocates in California and across the nation, in April 2015, Congress passed H.R. 2, securing two additional years of funding for The Health Centers Program, through fall of 2017.

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Social Media as An Advocacy Tool

Posted: February 27, 2015

Why has social media become so important to an organization’s advocacy strategy? The answer lies not in the immense reach of social networks, or in the fact that social is the top internet activity, but in the simple fact that social media humanizes an issue.

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Find Your Representative

Posted: January 16, 2015

Enter your zip code to find your State and Federal Representatives

Issue Briefs

Posted: January 16, 2015

CCALAC periodically releases issue briefs on various important topics to share with public officials and community partners.  The first briefs released in March 2011 discussed the importance and value of investing in indigent care in LA’s community clinics and health centers.

  • Vision: 2020: Clinics Turn Best Practices Into Action to Meet Healthy People 2020 Goals, March 2013
  • Uncharted Territory: Mapping the Unmet Needs of LA’s Underserved, March 2012
  • Eclipsed by Need: The Need to Care for LA’s Indigent Will Remain, Even After Reform, March 2011, Revised June 2011
  • Value Added: Investments in Care for LA’s Indigent Reap Rewards and Results, March 2011, Revised June 2011
  • Quality Matters: Clinics Improve Health Outcomes with High-Quality, Patient-Centered Care, March 2011

Other Advocacy Resources

Posted: January 16, 2015