Improving care for California’s older adults: the role of community health centers and public hospital systems
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Wunsch, Bobbie, author Gomez, Rafael, (Of Pacific Health Consulting Group), author Hogan, Laura, (Of Pacific Health Consulting Group), author Lynch, Marty, author
- Contributor(s):
- California HealthCare Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [Oakland, CA] : California Health Care Foundation, June 2022
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Community Health Centers Health Services for the Aged Hospitals, Public Safety-net Providers California United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- California’s demographics are changing, with the proportion of the state’s population age 50 or older increasing at a record pace. Older adults also represent the fastest-growing age cohort receiving care through California’s safety-net provider system. As the state’s population shifts, so do the care needs for the older adult population, particularly those with low incomes, many of whom are eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal (dually eligible enrollees). Dually eligible enrollees are more likely to experience multiple health and social needs compared to the general Medicare population; this complexity calls for tailored and highly coordinated services inside and beyond clinical settings. While California’s community health centers and public hospitals have long provided integrated care to adults, children, and families with low incomes, historically these care settings have not emphasized services specifically focused on older people with low incomes and complex medical conditions. Despite this gap, the community health centers and public hospitals that compose California’s safety net are well positioned to provide coordinated, integrated care to this growing group of Californians, given these organizations’ unique skill set and culture supporting comprehensive care for complex populations. This report outlines potential strategies and opportunities to meet the emerging care needs of older Californians with low incomes, describes a range of policy initiatives launching in California that present new opportunities for improved care for this population, highlights findings from a literature review of practices and programs designed to improve access and quality for older adults, and summarizes perspectives and insights from interviews with community health center and public hospital system leaders around emerging approaches and challenges they face in serving older adults with low incomes.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-ND license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (20 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918557475906676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918557475906676