Social workers on the frontline of Medi-Cal campaign

Work underway to get expanded services to low-income and homeless people
by Natalie Hanson | Posted July 1, 2024

photo by Karen Laslo
Pallet shelters

Daniel Reinhard, a Butte County social worker, regularly visits unhoused people at Genesis, a pallet shelter village in Chico.

Each week, he talks to people who are either renewing their Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, or need help accessing expanded Medi-Cal services. In January 2024, Medi-Cal, which already served one-third of all Californians, expanded services to all state residents who qualify regardless of immigration status, as well as to people already enrolled. read more

Connecting farmworkers to healthcare in California’s rural north

Glenn & Butte counties included in effort
by Peter Schurmann | Posted April 11, 2024
As a “promotora” for Ampla Health, Maria Soto is at the forefront of expanding Medi-Cal access across Glenn, Butte and other rural Northern California counties.

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HAMILTON CITY – It’s late February and the road to Hamilton City about 10 miles west of Chico is lined with blooming almond trees, their pink blossoms blanketing the fields for miles around. A single clinic stands in the center of town.

Inside the clinic we meet Maria Soto, whose work as a promotora is an essential piece in California’s ambitious plan to deliver healthcare to all residents regardless of immigration status. read more