California is investing $145.5 million in local, specialized healthcare systems and services, supporting community organizations’ efforts to make treatment affordable, accessible and effective.
The allocation will be delivered through the Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Capacity and Infrastructure, Transition, Expansion and Development (CITED) program. The PATH initiative was established to enhance local providers’ capabilities to provide quality community-based care. A total of 153 organizations will receive awards to promote and maintain in-person care coordination, housing support and other vital support systems and resources.
The latest investment comes from the final CITED funding round that closed earlier this year. The program prioritizes investments that enable and streamline local efforts to develop, expand and transition to Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports capacity and infrastructure. Allowable use of funds include:
- Increasing the provider workforce.
- Building infrastructure to better support integration with California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).
- Building infrastructure to coordinate and implement ECM and Community Supports services.
- Monitoring ECM and Community Supports services.
- Outreaching to under-resourced and/or underserved entities for healthcare services.
Established in 2020 with an initial $1.85 billion trust, the PATH program has so far distributed approximately $1.7 billion to help historically underserved communities across the state. More than 2,200 community providers have benefited from this program and have been empowered to further Medi-Cal services. PATH has also offered supplementary resources to equip community partners with staff, billing systems and data exchange tools.
The CITED allocations follow in the footsteps of California’s latest efforts to bolster healthcare affordability and accessibility for the state’s most vulnerable communities. On Oct. 10, Gov. Gavin Newsome signed Senate Bill 27 into law, enhancing the state’s Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act and expanding behavioral health services.
The CARE Act is a pioneer in cultivating a court system that protects and serves those with severe mental illnesses, implementing systems and powers to connect them with critical treatment, housing and recovery services. The ratified law expanded CARE eligibility, improved court coordination and enhanced county health agency and court mobility to intervene and support people with severe mental health disorders before their behavioral health becomes critical.
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