San Diego County Medical Society Foundation

Project Access San Diego evaluates our impact against the following outcomes for FY2020-2021:
-A minimum of 550 uninsured patients will received donated medical care
-A minimum of 1,000 specialty appointments will be provided to patients
-75% reduction in number of days PASD patients are unable to work or care for family
-80% reduction in return visits to emergency departments for PASD patients
-60% reduction in return visits to primary care physicians for untreated specialty health
needs for PASD patients.
The number of patients served is tracked with database software; patient care managers track remaining objectives utilizing surveys. Six months after a patient completes their course of treatment and "graduates" from our program, PASD care managers’ survey them on their post care status. Through this follow up survey, Project Access San Diego is able to report the following data:
-Reduction of inpatient hospital days for PASD patients (benchmark 85% reduction)
-Number of specialty care appointments, surgeries, and procedures
-Average number of days from intake to specialty appointment
-Improved health status and quality-of-life indicators.

CFH improves community health and wellness by working with existing service providers and events to provide and coordinate preventive healthcare screenings for chronic disease regardless of insurance, as well as health education presentations that are free to all participants. Community access to these services increases the propensity that insured and uninsured San Diegans maximize care utilization for preventable illness and disease, and CFH works with HHSA’s Community Statistics unit to map the intersections of high flu and low immunization rates, and other key health indicators such as low rates of insured San Diegans.

CFH coordinates access to pro bono quality specialty healthcare services via Project Access San Diego (PASD) including surgeries, to uninsured, poor and working poor individuals. Services are timely, appropriate, and effective in advancing health and wellness through intensive patient care management on which our network of physician volunteers relies for efficient medical visits. No-cost prescription medications, medical equipment, transportation, medical interpretation and diagnostic tests are secured to address social determinants of health, and ensure patient care. Staff empower patient partners to get healthy through PASD, and keep healthy through collaborative and community-based wellness activities.

Through our Physician Support programs, we increase physicians’ abilities to serve their uninsured and uninsurable patients, extend community wellness services, and also work with local allied health teaching institutions to volunteer their practicum to serve San Diego’s most vulnerable, teaching valuable empathy and soft skills, and also developing professionals who have a spirit to serve that they can carry on throughout their career from student to retirement.

Champions for Health’s staff members and their leadership are key to delivering impact at a program and organizational level.

Executive Director Adama Dyoniziak, MPH CPH oversees organizational success, establishes and implements initiatives to accomplish the organization’s mission, including innovations and improvements,driving funding diversity,and liaising with clinic, hospital and health plan partners.

Chief Medical Officer and San Diego County Medical Society President Jim Schultz (consultant) provides medical supervision, leads the case review process, and supports care innovation with community clinic partners.

PASD Program Manager Celene Salazar, RN is responsible for key relationships with hospitals, anesthesia groups, imaging providers, and ancillary health providers, and manages the case review process with the Chief Medical Officer.

Patient Care Manager Evelyn Peñaloza leads patient and community care management activities, including identifying resources and supports to overcome barriers to access for uninsured patients.

Community Wellness and Partnership Manager Andrew Gonzalez oversees our intern and volunteer program which has catapulted our collective ability to provide continuous process improvement for our programs. He also leads in recruiting physician and allied health volunteers, and is also the lead for the Live Well Speaker’s Bureau and Community Wellness activities.

Cody Nelson, MBA serves as Director of Marketing and Development and oversees Champions for Health's overall messaging and development strategies in support of the organization's strategic plan.

In addition to core staff, Champions for Health counts on a small team of consultants to support functions such as grant writing, planning, event logistics, and accounting in order to keep overhead costs low, and skilled members high.

Due to the close affiliation with the San Diego County Medical Society, CFH’s founding purpose was for the hundreds of physicians, hospitals, surgery centers, and ancillary care providers in the San Diego community to have the opportunity to contribute their resources, time, and expertise to care for uninsured patients.

CFH is blessed to be in partnership with every school of nursing in San Diego to staff community wellness services that require administration by a health provider – such as vaccine and immunizations. This partnership has allowed CFH to gain recognition by the County as the third largest field immunization provider in the region behind two FQHCs, confirming the importance of prevention services being centered in community-based settings. This year we also added a pharmacy school to the roster of allied health educators who come together to serve the community. This partnership allows for students to fulfil practicum requirements, earn lived experience with vulnerable populations, and to encourage them to be Champions for Health when they become a fully trained or licensed allied health provider.

To date, Champions for Health has achieved the following outcomes:

• $21.5+ million in donated care
• 6,500+ patients served; 78 lives saved
• 1,563 surgeries/procedures
• 16,000 screenings and preventive services.
• Third highest flu immunization provider in San Diego County.