The HASD&IC Biweekly Briefing provides timely news and information for HASD&IC members and associates and is published on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Key articles and issues of interest from each publication, along with the President’s Message, are included below.
Newsroom
5 Things To Know: Tabletop Exercise, PeerLINKS Program, HQI Cares
Tabletop Exercise: HASD&IC and several hospital members participated in the 2021 San Diego Regional Tabletop Exercise on July 27. Over 125 participants took part, including representatives from:
5 Things To Know: Medi-Cal Managed Care, Behavioral Health Hearings, State Budget Agreement
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Address Medi-Cal Managed Care: Lask week, HASD&IC President & CEO Dimitrios Alexiou provided public comment (testimony starts at 4:08) in support of the Framework for the Future: Improving the County’s Wellness Care Delivery System to Address Health Disparities Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic and shared the HASD&IC Board of Directors guiding principles for new Medi-Cal managed care contracts. He emphasized the importance of using this opportunity to prioritize patients, strengthen local oversight, and increase accountability. HASD&IC will continue to engage with supervisors on the Medi-Cal managed care procurement process.
5 Things To Know: Disaster Planning, EMS Changes, Addressing Chronic Homelessness
Addressing Chronic Homelessness: On June 28, the first phase of a partnership between the City and County of San Diego launched, with outreach teams hitting the streets to address the immediate and long-term challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness. This month-long outreach campaign is designed to connect individuals to immediate shelter, housing navigation and behavioral health services, and medical care. The second phase, scheduled to launch in August, will address the struggle of those who experience chronic homelessness with severe substance use disorder. It will connect them with teams who can link them to health and social services, including specialized temporary housing, regardless of the status of their sobriety.
5 Things To Know: Hazard Pay, Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation, Medi-Cal CalAIM
Hazard Pay: The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $36 million of American Rescue Plan funding on hazard pay for the county’s essential employees. Mandatory bonus pay has been the subject of much discussion around the state as we emerge from the pandemic. The Culver City Council has passed an ordinance that requires $5 per hour hero pay for employees at the city’s only hospital, and Assembly Bill (AB) 650 would mandate bonuses of up to $10,000 for hospital employees and contractors. However, AB 650 was moved to the Assembly Inactive File on June 3 and is now a two-year bill.
5 Things To Know: Naloxone Treatment, New County Office, FEMA Releases Pandemic Guidance
Naloxone Treatment: With the number of drug-related deaths growing at an alarming rate locally, the county of San Diego will soon make naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, widely available at several community-based locations and clinics throughout the county. While concerns over the increase in fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths were growing prior to the pandemic, fentanyl-related deaths increased 202% from 2019 to 2020 with more than 457 fentanyl-related deaths countywide in 2020.