FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/6/2017 5:45:00 PM
PACIFIC
Updated:
12/6/2017 5:42:35 PM
PACIFIC
Gold Coast Health Plan Helps Fire Victims at Ventura County Shelters
Health Navigators are Assisting Members Impacted by the Thomas Fire
CAMARILLO, Calif., December 6, 2017 - Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) is providing trained, bilingual health navigators for its members at the county’s two largest evacuation sites in response to the Thomas Fire.
GCHP outreach representatives are on-site at the Ventura Fairgrounds and Oxnard College gym to help the Plan’s members deal with a variety of health-related issues that may have resulted from losing a home or being evacuated, as well as overall anxiety caused by the fire.
“Evacuees can find us at the shelters or ask a Red Cross volunteer to locate one of us,” said Lupe Gonzalez, GCHP’s director of health education and cultural linguistics. “We can assist GCHP members with their dialysis needs, transportation to a doctor appointment, pharmacy needs, as well as diabetic supplies and counseling for anxiety related to the disaster.”
GCHP members who need assistance but are not in a local evacuation shelter should call the Plan’s call center at 1-888-301-1228 / TTY 1-888-310-7347.
About Gold Coast Health Plan
Gold Coast Health Plan is an independent public entity created by a Ventura County ordinance and authorized through Federal Legislation. GCHP is not a county agency. The county Board of Supervisors approved implementation of a County Organized Health System (COHS) model, transitioning from fee-for-service Medi-Cal to managed care on June 2, 2009. The purpose of GCHP is to serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries, enhance the quality of health care, provide greater access, improve service and provide choice. The plan provides health benefits to more than 200,000 beneficiaries throughout the county. To learn more about GCHP, visit: www.goldcoasthealthplan.org.