SNI Forward Newsletter November 2021

Welcome

Welcome to the final SNI Forward of 2021 –  our quarterly snapshot of the transformation progress at California’s public health care systems and the work of the California Health Care Safety Net Institute (SNI).

We are so pleased to share the progress we’ve made over the past several months and highlight upcoming opportunities.

Public health care systems continue to step up in caring for patients among ongoing waves of COVID positivity rates and in the COVID vaccination push. Read more about the heroic efforts and lessons learned from three of our systems below in the Member Spotlight. Recently, SNI has partnered with our systems to identify and share successful practices in vaccination approaches, including increasing vaccine equity and ensuring access to and integration of the State’s COVID vaccination data into system electronic health records.

SNI also continues to support public health care systems as they evolve ambulatory care amid the COVID pandemic and in ways that more sustainably incorporate virtual care options. SNI recently developed a virtual care maturity model and an accompanying self-assessment tool that allows systems to identify strategic priorities and opportunities for growth. Based on assessment results and member input, SNI launched a three-part webinar series focused on developing key performance indicators to measure success in virtual care. Programming will continue into 2022 and cover other priority topics in virtual care including operations and clinical standards and patient and family engagement.

In preparation for 2022, SNI is collaborating with systems in the transition from the Whole Person Care (WPC) program to CalAIM Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports. SNI is working closely with Aurrera Health Group to convene the WPC Peer-to-Peer Learning Collaborative, which is funded by the California Health Care Foundation and brings together WPC lead entities to share approaches and collectively troubleshoot operational challenges related to the CalAIM transition.

And in just a couple weeks, we’ll be hosting our annual CAPH/SNI conference, virtually again this year. We have an impressive line-up of speakers, and we hope you will attend. Register here

Giovanna Giuliani
Executive Director
California Health Care Safety Net Institute

SNI To Launch Racial Equity Community of Practice

Over the past year and a half, public health care systems have affirmed their commitment to address structural racism in more deliberate and meaningful ways. To help effectuate this shift in perspective, SNI is launching a Racial Equity Community of Practice with funding from the California Health Care Foundation to support systems in their advancement of racial equity efforts and to embed equity in all aspects of their organizations.

SNI selected the National Equity Project (NEP), an Oakland-based leadership and systems change organization with a long history of advancing equity objectives, to co-design and facilitate the program with SNI.

The first phase of the 18-month Community of Practice will kick off in January 2022 and focus on developing a shared language, trust, and understanding of the progress systems have made to date. SNI looks forward to sharing updates from the program, so we can all learn from one another how to address inequities and improve the health of our communities.

Member Spotlight

In several recent blogs, CAPH/SNI highlights how three of our systems play essential roles in their communities in response to the COVID pandemic.

From the Wuhan Flight to a Covid-19 Survivor’s Fight at Riverside University Health System Medical Center

Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Medical Center was at the front lines of the pandemic as it prepared a full-scale response to care for evacuees on a flight from Wuhan in late January 2020. This story is just one example of how public health care systems have been swiftly and effectively meeting the moment, from expanding access to testing and increasing surge capacity to distributing vaccines for some of the state’s most at-risk patients. Read the RUHS story from the first days of the pandemic to launching a full-scale vaccination effort.

Caring for San Francisco’s Most At-risk Residents During COVID-19 and Lessons from Leadership Along the Way

As CEO of Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZFSG), Dr. Susan Ehrlich knows first-hand the challenges of leading an organization through an unprecedented public health crisis. Dr. Ehrlich shares her perspectives on leadership and how ZSFG and its partners in San Francisco cared for the city’s most at-risk residents.

Caption: ZSFG nurse in ICU unit. Photo credit: Susan Merrill/UCSF. 

How South LA County Doctors at MLK Outpatient Center Talk with Patients to Increase Vaccine Confidence

Front-line physicians at MLK Outpatient Center, which serves Compton and Watts and is one of 24 county health centers that are part of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, share advice about increasing vaccine confidence based on their experiences speaking with hundreds of patients about the important decision.

“We’ve learned that it’s just one conversation at a time that can save a patient’s life.”

– Dr. Atul Nakhasi

Dr. Atul Nakhasi at a hospital he was redeployed to in South LA during a COVID-19 surge. Photo courtesy of Dr. Atul Nakhasi.

What’s Next

December 2-3

The CAPH/SNI Annual Conference will be held virtually December 2 – 3. Our 2021 conference theme, Meeting the Moment, recognizes the tireless dedication of our health care providers and other essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and every day.

The Quality Leaders Awards, which highlight our members’ innovative approaches to providing high-value, high-quality, patient-centered care, will be presented at annual conference. Register here.