CALOPTIMA HOSTS RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR ORANGE COUNTY’S FIRST PACE CENTER SERVING AREA SENIORS

CalOptima, the public health plan for Orange County, will host the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of its new PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) center, the first facility of its kind in Orange County, on Thursday, August 8.

Located at 13300 Garden Grove Blvd., in Garden Grove, the event is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and will feature guided tours of the facility. The keynote speaker for the day’s festivities will be Margaret Tatar, Chief of the Department of Health Care Services Medi-Cal Managed Care Division.

The CalOptima PACE program will provide the bulk of its services at the PACE center, a 23,650 square foot facility distinctively designed for seniors to better meet their health care needs. The program will begin by providing service to the Central and Northern areas of Orange County.  A community-based Medicare and Medi-Cal program providing coordinated and integrated health care services to frail seniors, PACE will help seniors who require nursing home level of care an alternative and the ability to continue living independently in the community.

“The need for comprehensive home-based care for seniors is particularly critical in Orange County, as the number of seniors in need of nursing home level of care is increasing rapidly.” said CalOptima Chief Executive Officer Michael Schrader. “PACE will add to CalOptima’s continuum of services to our members. It is representative of CalOptima’s overall vision of integrated care.”

The program provides participants with all the care and services covered by Medicare and Medi-Cal, as authorized by an Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) of health professionals, as well as services not typically covered by Medicare and Medi-Cal. A unique feature of the PACE program, the IDT is the centerpiece of what makes the PACE model of care so special. Working together on-site at the PACE center, they collaborate to provide continuous monitoring of the participants’ health status and coordinate all aspects of their medical care.

 “Our IDT will provide the necessary and appropriate preventive, rehabilitative and supportive services primarily at the PACE center,” said Peerapong Tantameng, director of the CalOptima PACE program.  “However, we also provide care in other settings, such as homes, hospitals, and nursing homes, as necessary.”

A Medicare and Medi-Cal program for older adults and people over age 55 living with disabilities, CalOptima PACE is projected to accommodate a maximum of 250 enrolled participants at its initial center, with a daily attendance maximum of around 130 participants.

For more information, please contact the PACE Manager of Marketing and Enrollment, Alison Patt-Insinna at 714-468-1044.