DHCS Unveils Strategy to Support Health and Opportunity for Children and Families

This week, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) unveiled Medi-Cal’s Strategy to Support Health and Opportunity for Children and Families. Noting that DHCS is responsible for the health care of more than 50 percent of California’s children, the department is launching a strategy for families enrolled in Medi-Cal to unify threads of existing and newly proposed child and family health initiatives and to strengthen DHCS’ accountability and oversight of children’s services.

The strategy includes eight action areas with key initiatives illustrating where DHCS is strengthening its focus on children and families. These initiatives include improved preventive care; the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Medi-Cal benefit; addressing health disparities in children’s care and outcomes; engaging with families to better include their voices in decision-making; and addressing youth behavioral health.

DHCS will host a webinar on March 14 to discuss these action areas and initiatives. Advanced registration is required and available here.

Additional information from DHCS on this strategy is available here.