PHC honors CalHealthCares Cohort 1 awardees at CMA’s House of Delegates
December 3,
2024By Physicians for a Healthy California CalHealthCares
On October 25, 2024, during the California Medical Association House of Delegates, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) hosted CalHealthCares’ first cohort of awardees to celebrate their ongoing efforts to expand access to care by working with patients most in need of affordable, quality care.
Following the reception, PHC hosted an intimate dinner for awardees. During the dinner, PHC CEO Lupe Alonzo-Diaz thanked the CalHealthCares awardees for their individual and collective efforts as the inaugural cohort. The evening provided an opportunity for organization leaders to connect with awardees directly to receive feedback on their experience and insights on how the program can continue to make positive impacts throughout the state.
The CalHealthCares loan repayment program provided Cohort 1 awardees support funds to reduce their educational debt burden in exchange for five years of service to Medi-Cal patients. When Cohort 1 first kicked off, it welcomed 277 physician and dentist awardees. With final award disbursements still in process, it is estimated that this cohort will receive $55.5 million in total funding.
As of October 2024, Cohort 1 awardees collectively demonstrated an average increase of 7.5% in their required Medi-Cal patient caseload.
