HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 08 - CalOptima Health Street Medicine Program Community Development Agency
https://www.santa-ana.org/community-development
Item # 8
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
August 15, 2023
TOPIC: CalOptima Health Street Medicine Program
AGENDA TITLE
Authorize staff to provide a Letter of Interest to CalOptima Health to have the City of
Santa Ana be considered as a future expansion City for its Street Medicine Program.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize staff to provide a Letter of Interest to CalOptima Health to launch a Street
Medicine Program in the City of Santa Ana that will provide health and social care
developed specifically to address the complex needs and circumstances of unhoused,
unsheltered individuals in the City of Santa Ana.
DISCUSSION
On April 1, 2023, CalOptima, in partnership with the City of Garden Grove
and Healthcare in Action, launched Orange County’s first Street Medicine Program to
deliver comprehensive health and social care to individuals experiencing homelessness,
addressing the unique needs and circumstances of unsheltered individuals. The
successful approach of the CalOptima Health Street Medicine Program builds
necessary rapport and engages people experiencing homelessness “where they are”
and on their “own terms,” thereby reducing and/or eliminating barriers to care access
and follow-through services. In its first four months of operations, CalOptima Health’s
Street Medicine Program has served over 100 unhoused individuals, connecting 95% of
its enrollees to both a medical home and housing navigation services.
CalOptima Health is interested in launching a second Street Medicine Program in
another city in Orange County, replicating its existing program that uses walking teams
and medical vans to canvas and reach unhoused members living in parks, under
freeways, or other unsheltered spaces. Services include primary care, behavioral
health, and case management, inclusive of substance use referral services. The Street
Medicine Program would provide medical and social care to people who have not
sought or do not want to seek care in traditional settings.
The Street Medicine Program will complement and enhance Santa Ana’s outreach and
engagement services for people experiencing homelessness by not only providing
necessary medical and social services staff in the field to address the complex medical
and social needs of unhoused, unsheltered individuals in Santa Ana, but also to
CalOptima Health Street Medicine Program
August 15, 2023
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minimize the unnecessary use of hospital emergency rooms and improve efficiency in
Santa Ana’s outreach and engagement related to public intoxication for people
experiencing homelessness.
Next Steps
Following approval by the City Council, staff will provide a Letter of Interest to
CalOptima Health to launch a Street Medicine Program (Exhibit 1). The Street Medicine
Program may require approval of a future Memorandum of Understanding or Agreement
with CalOptima Health.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT
1. Letter of Interest for CalOptima Health Street Medicine Program
Submitted By: Michael L. Garcia, Executive Director of Community Development
Approved By: Krstine Ridge, City Manager
SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL
Valerie Amezcua
Mayor
vamezcua@santa-ana.org
Jessie Lopez
Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 3
jessielopez@santa-ana.org
Thai Viet Phan
Ward 1
tphan@santa-ana.org
Benjamin Vazquez
Ward 2
bvazquez@santa-ana.org
Phil Bacerra
Ward 4
pbacerra@santa-ana.org
Johnathan Ryan Hernandez
Ward 5
jryanhernandez@santa-ana.org
David Penaloza
Ward 6
dpenaloza@santa-ana.org
MAYOR
Valerie Amezcua
MAYOR PRO TEM
Jessie Lopez
COUNCILMEMBERS
Phil Bacerra
Johnathan Ryan Hernandez
David Penaloza
Thai Viet Phan
Benjamin Vazquez
CITY OF SANTA ANA
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
20 Civic Center Plaza – M25
Santa Ana, California 92702
www.santa-ana.org
CITY MANAGER
Kristine Ridge
CITY ATTORNEY
Sonia R. Carvalho
CITY CLERK
Jennifer L. Hall
August 16, 2023
CalOptima Health
Kelly Bruno-Nelson, Executive Director
505 City Parkway West
Orange, CA 92868
Dear Ms. Kelly Bruno-Nelson,
On behalf of the City Council this letter of intent to express our interest in launching a
Street Medicine Program in the City of Santa Ana.
According to national estimates, the life expectancy of an unsheltered person is nearly 30
years less than that of the average Californian. As homelessness continues to rise across
the state, so too do deaths on the street. We understand that when an individual focuses
on their basic needs, managing their medical or mental health ailments go by the wayside.
In Orange County, a quarter of the deaths among the unhoused are a result from acute
or chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer or respiratory failure.
A Street Medicine program launched in Santa Ana will be able to deliver heath care to
some of the neediest individuals, and provide services “where they are,” thereby reducing
barriers to care access and follow-through. The Street Medicine Program will both
complement Santa Ana’s existing outreach and engagement programs.
This letter of intent precedes an agreement between the City and CalOptima Health (and
any other program documents) that will detail the terms for the Street Medicine Program.
Sincerely,
Mayor Valerie Amezcua
Mayor
EXHIBIT 1