Oakland, CA - While public hospitals and community clinics across California struggle to meet demand for specialists, the situation is particularly acute in rural parts of the state, with far fewer physicians per capita and wait times for appointments of three months or more.

Seeking to address the access problem, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) today announced it has awarded a total of $350,000 in planning grants to seven provider coalitions operating in 16 rural counties, including the far north counties, the Lake Tahoe and Sierra regions, and Merced County (see complete list below). The grants are designed to help providers in rural areas work together to identify ways to improve timely access to specialty care, including establishing formalized referral relationships between primary care physicians and specialists, and using telemedicine to connect patients with doctors in other cities.

More than 40 provider organizations, including community health centers, hospitals, medical groups, and county health departments have committed to participate in the projects. The seven coalitions, each awarded $50,000, will be eligible to receive additional funding from CHCF to implement their plans. The grants complement a similar project supported by the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit program.

Collectively, the 21 grants awarded by CHCF and Kaiser will support work in 32 of California's 58 counties. The project is part of a broader CHCF effort to identify innovative regional and local efforts that strengthen quality, efficiency, and access in California's safety-net clinics and hospitals.

The seven CHCF grants were awarded to the following coalitions. The target counties are in bold and the coalition members are listed with the lead organization first.

Butte, Sutter, and Yuba Counties (Marysville/Yuba area): Del Norte Clinics with Fremont Rideout Health Group, Harmony Health Clinic, Sutter County Health Department, and Sutter North Medical Foundation.

Del Norte, Humboldt, and Trinity Counties: North Coast Clinics Network with Mobile Medical Offices, Open Door Community Health Centers, Redwoods Rural Health Center, Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, and Southern Trinity Health Services.

El Dorado County: El Dorado County Department of Public Health with Barton Health Care System, El Dorado County Community Health Center, El Dorado County Department of Mental Health, Marshall Medical Center, and Shingle Springs Tribal Health Clinic.

Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, and Siskiyou Counties: Shasta Consortium of Community Health Centers with Canby Family Practice, Hill Country Community Clinic, Mercy Medical Center, Mountain Valleys Health Centers, Northeastern Rural Health Clinics, Shasta Community Health Center, Shasta County Public Health, Shasta Regional Medical Center, and Siskiyou Family Healthcare.

Mendocino County: Alliance for Rural Community Health (ARCH) with Anderson Valley Health Center, Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County, Long Valley Health Center, Mendocino Coast Clinics, Mendocino Coast District Hospital, Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Potter Valley Community Health Center, Redwood Coast Medical Services, and Ukiah Valley Medical Center.

Merced County: Merced County Health Care Consortium with Castle Family Health Centers, Golden Valley Health Centers, Livingston Medical Group, Merced County Department of Public Health, Merced County Human Services Agency, Merced Faculty Association, and Mercy Medical Center Merced.

Nevada, eastern Placer, and Sierra Counties: Northern Sierra Rural Health Network with Kings Beach Clinic of Placer County, Miners Family Health Center, Nevada County Public Health Department, Sierra Family Medical Center, Sierra Nevada Medical Associates IPA, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Tahoe Forest Hospital, and Western Sierra Medical Clinic.

For more information, please view the full RFP.

About the California HealthCare Foundation
The California HealthCare Foundation, based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing system. Visit www.chcf.org for more information.

(Reprinted from the California Health Care Foundation Newsletter, Jan. 15th, 2008)