CaliforniaHealth+ Educates Patients About Community Health Centers

As we close in on October 1st, the opening of the Covered CA enrollment period, community health centers (CHCs) need to be as visible as possible in order to be successful in the new health care arena being ushered in by health care reform.  To assist CHCs with their visibility, the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) has developed a new brand, CaliforniaHealth+, which they are eager to roll out to all of their members.

What is CaliforniaHealth+?

  • A new vision and brand to educate patients about community health centers and to create a unified concept of CHCs for consumers
  • Represents the “plus” that CHCs offer through a whole health approach in a community- driven, culturally-sensitive, patient-centered environment
  • Build on the brand promise that all CHCs provide extended services, team-based care, and quality services

Why do we need CaliforniaHealth+?

  • When up to 4 million Californians become newly eligible for health insurance in January 2014, CHCs will play a vital role in serving these patients, so educating Californians about the unique value and high-quality care of CHCs is essential to assure that these patients receive the care they need.
  • California’s CHCs are often a “best-kept secret” within a community, but CaliforniaHealth+ will inform and engage patients and help connect them to CHCs.
  • The ultimate impacts for patients and communities include increased healthcare equity along with increased access to comprehensive, cost-effective, and culturally-sensitive primary and preventive health services.

There are currently three AHC/CHCN health centers that have gone through CPCA’s rapid recognition process for use of the brand; Axis Community Health, La Clinica, and LifeLong Medical Care. Simone Leask, Operations Specialist at La Clinica, shared with us their reasons for using CaliforniaHealth+.

“In deciding whether or not to join the brand, La Clínica examined the brand’s promise, its quality standards, the cost of joining, the benefits to La Clínica, and the potential concerns around changing our logo. In the end, we were convinced to join by considering the following points:

  • By unifying CHCs across the state, CaliforniaHealth+ will lend credibility, create competitive advantage and leverage marketing resources for participating clinics, including La Clínica.
  • CPCA’s comprehensive media and communications plan encompasses both an internal stakeholder campaign and an external consumer campaign, informed by statewide consumer market research and focus groups, including Spanish speakers.
  • As a statewide association, CPCA will be able to secure advertising air time that far exceeds what La Clínica would be able to do on its own.
  • In addition, we will gain broader exposure through CPCA’s partnership with The California Endowment (TCE). That partnership has agreed to create two public services announcements (that will air nationally on Univision) and additional co-branded materials that will be distributed statewide through TCE’s enrollment initiative.”

If you and your health center are interested in learning more about CaliforniaHealth+, check out their website at www.californiahealthplus.com. CHCN also will be coordinating a conference call with CPCA’s branding team to answer any questions about CaliforniaHealth+. Keep an eye out in the new AHC/CHCN Weekly Update for the conference call details, or email Joi Wilson at jwilson@chcnetwork.org.