2023 Day at the Capitol Advocacy Activities

Through organized efforts with California Primary Care Association and our member health centers, Alameda Health Consortium attended the annual Day at Capitol advocacy activities in Sacramento in April 2023. We used this opportunity to meet with our Alameda County State Senators and State Assemblymembers to provide updates on the integral role community health centers play in providing accessible care to patients as well as to continue advocating for policy priorities that matter the most to our health centers and our patients.

Our team of providers and CEOs were joined by other vital staff from our health centers including Integrated Behavioral Health Care Coordinators (IBH CCs) and Behavioral Health Community Health Workers (BH CHWs) from Axis Community Health, Bay Area Community Health, and LifeLong Medical Care. These individuals are frontline staff that work closely with the community, linking them to mental health resources and support. We felt it was important to showcase the staff who are on the frontlines every day, are community members themselves, and who have established trusted relationships with their patients and as a result, fully understand their needs.

These IBH CCs and BH CHWs, along with our member health centers’ C-Suite staff, were able to share powerful patient stories, emphasizing the potential impact of the policies our team was advocating for at this year’s Day at the Capitol. Our budget ask this year was for a $60 million onetime navigator funding request to help expand our Medi-Cal health enrollment during the redetermination process. They highlighted the importance of navigator-type roles that support patients through the complex Medi-Cal enrollment and renewal processes.

We also advocated for Senate Bill 282, same day billing. Health center staff successfully showcased how the limitations on providing mental health and physical health services on the same day are detrimental to both the patient’s treatment process and health center financial stability.

It was a full day of visits and advocating for various policy priorities, and we want to give a special thank you to our health center representatives for joining us and elevating patient voices.

You can view images from our Day at the Capitol activities below: