SAN DIEGO, CA – (December 9, 2022) Family Health Centers San Diego (FHCSD) hosted Covered California and elected leaders to promote open enrollment in Covered California health plans, and to address the increased need for behavioral health awareness and services across San Diego.
Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman, Senate President Pro-Tem Toni Atkins, County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher and National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) San Diego CEO Cathryn Nacario, RN, MHA joined FHCSD leaders at Logan Heights Family Health Center to encourage San Diegans to enroll in Covered California health plans during the current open enrollment period, and to access mental health available to them through their plans.
“Getting the right behavioral health care starts with making sure people have health insurance with access to quality providers, and that can be done right now through Covered California’s open enrollment,” said Altman.
FHCSD Director of Mental Health, Myra Sepulveda Buby, gave closing remarks, speaking about the importance of receiving mental health care, and breaking down the stigma associated with mental health challenges.
“We’re not ashamed when our bodies get sick, so why should we be ashamed when our minds aren’t in top form?” said Sepulveda Buby. “We should be looking after our mental health in the same way we look after our physical health.”
Sepulveda Buby is a bilingual (Spanish/English) licensed clinical social worker by training and has led a successful submittal and recognition to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration and the Joint Commission Behavioral Health Care Integration on behalf of FHCSD.
After the press conference, Chair Fletcher and Director Altman toured the Logan Heights Family Health Center, meeting with clinical leadership and staff to learn more about FHCSD’s services, mental health work and to see on-site Covered California enrollment counselors helping patients enroll in health plans at the facility.
“Seeing on-site health care enrollment happening in real time in communities like Logan Heights is critical to addressing physical and mental health in our most underserved communities,” said Chairman Fletcher. “I was also able to meet nurses, doctors and other clinical and administrative staff at Family Health Centers of San Diego who are providing critical services to people in their communities.”
FHCSD has on-site enrollment specialists at every one of their locations in San Diego County who can help patients access free or affordable health care. Additionally, FHCSD prides itself on being a leader in mental health, with 16 stand-alone mental health facilities. The organization has made significant strides in breaking down the stigma of receiving mental health care by embedding mental health services directly in all but two of our integrated primary care sites.
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About Covered California Open Enrollment
Consumers can discover their options by visiting www.CoveredCA.com, where they can easily find out if they qualify for financial help and see the coverage options in their area. All they need to do is enter their household income, zip code, household size, the number of people who need coverage and their ages into the calculator on Covered California’s homepage.
In addition, those interested in learning more about their coverage options can also:
- Get free and confidential assistance over the phone, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
- Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
- Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.
About Family Health Centers of San Diego
For over 50 years, Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) mission has been to provide caring, affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to everyone, with a special commitment to uninsured, low-income and medically underserved persons. FHCSD is one of the nation’s ten largest FQHCs, operating 62 sites across San Diego County and providing care to over 227,000 patients each year, of whom 91% are low-income and 29% are uninsured.
