Community Health Initiative (CHI)

Our mission is to improve the health of children, families and seniors by providing access to care through health insurance enrollment, patient education and advocacy. We work closely with low- and moderate-income individuals in Napa and Solano counties to obtain, retain, and utilize healthcare as a means for improving their overall standard of living. 

We do this because:

• Access to check-ups, vaccines, and screenings improves school success and long-term outcomes for children
• Early care prevents expensive emergencies, reducing the financial burden on patients, hospitals, and taxpayers
• Preventive care means fewer sick days, resulting in a stronger workforce, higher productivity, and a stable economy

Our bicultural, bilingual staff are experts in the complexities of Medi-Cal, Covered California, and Medicare, and each year outreaches to as many as 9,000 Solano County low-income residents in our database as well as over 20,000 individuals at outreach events. Last year we assisted more than 4,000 individuals in Solano County enroll in and retain health insurance plans. 

We also work collaboratively with like-minded community-based organizations, including First 5 Solano County, Children's Network, and Vidas to bridge health insurance gaps by educating families and individuals on the importance of health coverage and care. Our efforts help people prevent diseases, get treatment for chronic illnesses, and save on healthcare costs. People like Ric. 

Ric, was enrolled in a Kaiser Medicare Advantage plan that met all his health needs, but when he saw a television ad offering $1,000 to switch plans, he did it. He reasoned that it was a lot of money that his family could use to cover other needs and he didn’t see any harm in doing it. 

But when he went to the pharmacy to pick up refills for his medications, including insulin for diabetes, he was told they were no longer covered by his plan. In fact, the plan he had purchased had no coverage at all in our area–no doctor, no hospital, no anything. 

A few days later, Ric was in an accident and he was afraid to go to the doctor because there wasn’t a provider nearby. That’s when his wife suggested they ask CHI for help. 

Ric typically would have had to wait until Open Enrollment Period to enroll in a new plan, which would cause a several-month delay in getting the medical attention he needed. Our Health Access Specialist called Medicare and explained the situation, and the agent was able to open a special enrollment case for Ric, who was then able to obtain the same Kaiser plan that would cover all his medications and his visit to see a doctor. 

Ric was grateful that CHI was there to help. We are grateful to our generous funders, like you who make our work possible and at no cost to the individuals or families that we serve.

Thank you for helping us keep Solano healthy.