CalOptima Health Nonprofit Healthcare Academy
Made possible through the adoption of a Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver, California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, is leveraging Medicaid funding to pay for select social services. The state launched CalAIM, a multi-year initiative to improve health outcomes by addressing the underlying Social Drivers of Health (SDoH) and increasing accessibility to services. This strategy recognizes that factors like housing, food insecurity, and substance use can significantly impact well-being. CalAIM engages social care providers who are well-connected to traditionally underserved populations to increase service efficiency and accessibility. However, these organizations often have limited experience working directly with Medicaid-managed care plans or capacity to expand services. Recognizing this inherent challenge, CalOptima, a publicly funded managed care plan serving Orange County, California, is investing heavily in building the capacity of these critical community-based social care providers.
In 2023, As part of this capacity-building commitment, CalOptima engaged Consilience Group to design and deliver the Nonprofit Healthcare Academy (NPHA). Organizations selected to participate in the NPHA represent a range of social support providers delivering services to Medi-Cal members representing the hardest-to-reach individuals and considered populations of focus. Key partners in this effort included Quantified Ventures and Aquilar Professional Training.
Impact
Delivered over six–months, this cohort-based training and technical assistance program combined both in-person and virtual technical assistance aimed at building the capacity of twenty nonprofits to access Medicaid funding in support of their social care programs and services. Live on-site events were designed to be highly experiential, with a focus on establishing a ‘listening space’ and opportunities to begin or deepen relationships among participants and CalOptima. In addition to group training, each participating organization also received one-on-one targeted technical assistance. Upon completion of the NPHA, participants were equipped to assess specific contracting opportunities with CalOptima and further developed their capacity and readiness to respond to aligned opportunities.