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published on May 15, 2018 - 2:32 PM
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The social and economic influences of the Medi-Cal system and its impact on Fresno County will be discussed at the Fresno Healthcare Coalition’s Strategic Forum tomorrow.

Speaker panels will feature representatives from health care, business, public agencies and others to explore the different roles that Medi-Cal plays.

“Medi-Cal, and the residents who use it, have been unfairly stigmatized over the years,” said Margarita Rocha, executive director of Centro La Familia Advocacy Services. “We hope this forum offers the community an opportunity to hear of the true value Medi-Cal brings to working families and the many senior citizens in our community who rely on the program for their quality of life.”

The Fresno Coalition is a group of stakeholders from business, health care, government, education and non-profit organizations and seeks to improve awareness of the role Medi-Cal plays in Fresno County’s economic and social systems.

The event will run from 8 a.m. until noon at the Falls Event Center, 4105 Figarden Drive.

Mark Keppler, director of the Maddy Institute, will facilitate the program, which features the three panels below:

Panel 1 – Fresno County Department directors will speak about the role that Medi-Cal plays in the Fresno County budget and how those funds are deployed. Speakers on this panel include:

  •  Delfino Neira – Director, Department of Social Services
  •  David Pomaville – Director, Department of Public Health
  •  Dawan Utecht – Director, Department of Behavioral Health

Panel 2 – Health care system providers will discuss the ways in which the Medi-Cal program affects their budgets and the type and level of services they can provide. The panelists include:

  •  Gregory Hund – CEO, CalViva Health
  •  Bill Phelps – Chief of Program Services, Clinica Sierra Vista
  •  Justin Preas – Deputy CEO, United Health Centers
  •  Chip Neuman – Chief Operating Officer, Community Regional Medical Center
  •  Tim Curley – Director, Community and Government Relations, Valley Children’s

Panel 3 – Local business and workforce representatives will address the ways in which the Medi-Cal program supports employees. Panelists discussing this subject will include:

  •  Manuel Cunha Jr. – President, Nisei Farmers League
  •  Lorraine Salazar – Co-owner, Sal’s Mexican Restaurants
  •  Lee Ann Eager – President/CEO, Fresno County Economic Development Corporation
  •  Dora Westerlund – CEO, Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation

The event is funded and supported by The California Endowment. For more information contact Centro La Familia Advocacy Services at (559) 237-2961.


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