To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jennifer Solito, 707-565-4774
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Recommended Action:
Title
Approve the Reappointment of Cathryn Couch to the Partnership Health Plan of California Commission for the term of four years beginning on January 1, 2025 and ending on December 31, 2029.
End
Executive Summary:
This item requests Board re-appointment of Cathryn Couch, in her current seat as Public Representative on the Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission for the standard four-year Commission term January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029.
Discussion:
Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission is a multi-county commission that provides for a managed healthcare plan for Medi-Cal recipients. Implementation of a county organized health system is authorized by Welfare and Institutions Code Section 14087.54. In September 2009, your Board approved an ordinance adding Chapter 34 to the Sonoma County Code, authorizing the County to join the Commission.
The Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission is comprised of representatives from Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Place, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba counties and provides coverage to over 650,000 Medi-Cal enrollees, including over 100,000 current Medi-Cal enrollees in Sonoma County.
On January 9, 2024, your Board adopted a resolution amending Chapter 43 of the Sonoma County Code revising the formula used to determine the number of Commission seats per County to align the Sonoma County Code with the Revised Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission Bylaws. The revised formula resulted in the Board approved elimination of one of the four Commission Seats (Hospital Representative) which was vacant at the time, leaving the current makeup of the Sonoma County Partnership HealthPlan of California Commissioner seats as follows:
|
Commission Seat |
Commissioner |
Term |
Serving Since |
|
Clinical Representative |
Kathryn Powell |
5/22/2024 to 5/21/2028 |
5/22/2024 |
|
County Official |
Jennifer Solito |
11/5/2024 to 5/20/2028 * |
11/5/2024 |
|
Public Representative |
Cathryn Couch |
1/1/2021 to 12/31/2024 |
1/1/2021 |
* On November 5, 2024, your Board approved the appointment of Jennifer Solito in her role as Interim Director of the Department of Health Services, for the remainder of previous Director Tina Rivera’s term through May 20, 2028, or until such time that the Department of Health Services returns to the Board with a permanent County Official appointment.
Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission Bylaws and Chapter 34 of the Sonoma County Code permit members to serve multiple terms. In addition, members are allowed to retain their commission seat upon conclusion of their term until a successor member has been selected. Your Board is responsible for appointing members to the Commission based on the selection process and criteria specified in Chapter 34. The standard term of office for each seat is four years.
The Department recommends re-appointing Cathryn Couch to the Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission, as the Public Representative, for the term January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029. As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ceres Community Project, Ms. Couch is an active member of the community participating in numerous organizations focused on community health (Hearts of Sonoma, Committee for Health Care Improvement, Master Plan on Aging and more). She is an advocate for those in need of health equity in our community and has built relationships with Senator Mike McGuire and Assembly Member Jim Wood to advance policy related to the provision of food as a health care intervention. As the proposed Public Representative, Ms. Couch will bring her passion and dedication to the Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission. This is the second consecutive term for Ms. Couch in this capacity.
Prior Board Actions:
On January 9, 2024, the Board adopted a resolution amending Chapter 34 of the Sonoma County Code to revise the formula used to determine the number of Commission seats per County and to align the Sonoma County Code with the Revised Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission Bylaws.
On December 15, 2020, the Board adopted a resolution appointing Cathryn Couch to the Partnership HealthPlan of California Commission for the term of January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024.
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
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Attachments:
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Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
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