In July 2017, Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) entered an Interdepartmental Services Agreement with Health Services to partner in staffing the Whole Person Care Community Connect Pilot Program. The overall goal of the program is to increase coordination of health, behavioral health, and social services for Medi-Cal recipients who are at high risk of utilizing high acuity medical services across multiple delivery systems. The program serves 14,400 Medi-Cal recipients and integrates physical health, behavioral health, and social services in a patient-centered manner in order to improve the health and well-being of this vulnerable population. These positions will be added to enhance the efforts of the Community Connect staff to provide social services care coordination as partners in the team-based case management and care coordination services.  
  
The clients of the Whole Person Care Community Connect program often overuse the emergency room department, inpatient hospitalization and psychiatric emergency resources due to a myriad of social barriers including housing insecurity, poverty related challenges, mental health and substance related disorders, and social isolation. EHSD has embedded four Social Service Program Assistants (SSPA) to serve the clients of Community Connect. A primary function of the SSPA is to assist CMCT clients in maintaining eligibility to Medi-Cal and gaining access to additional benefits for which they may be eligible.   
  
Each month, between 800-1000 CMCT clients’ Medi-Cal lapses, meaning their coverage has terminated. This can occur for a variety of reasons (no longer need coverage, moved out of county, etc.) but a significant reason is that the client missed their redetermination period due to the social barriers they face on a daily basis. The SSPAs work collaboratively with the Case Managers within CMCT to assist in restoring client’s Medi-Cal during a 90-day cure period to ensure continuity in health care coverage and continued eligibility to Community Connect. Another role the SSPAs play is assisting in processing applications for CalFresh and Cash Aid. Many clients are unaware that they are eligible for additional public services. As they become aware through the support of their Case Managers, the dedicated SSPAs are able to conduct the intake process with the clients ensuring their benefits are processed in a timely manner.  
  
Due to the high volume of clients and the upcoming transition into CalAIM, which will expand current services to all high utilizers throughout the County’s health system, in December 2020, EHSD entered into an Interdepartmental Services Agreement/Extension with Health Services to partner in staffing the Whole Person Care Community Connect Pilot Program to add three (3) additional SSPAs and one (1) Clerk-Senior Level. The Interdepartmental Services Agreement/Extension was approved on March 2021.

If this action is not approved, EHSD will not be able to ensure the timely and necessary granting of benefits to maintain clients' continued eligibility to CMCT, thus placing Health Services at risk of losing clients for the Whole Person Care pilot.