San Joaquin County Health Commission Expands Service Areas and Appoints Two New Health Commissioners
(French Camp, CA) – The San Joaquin County Health Commission (SJCHC), which serves as the governing body of Health Plan of San Joaquin, announced that it will expand operations into El Dorado and Alpine Counties, effective January 1, 2024. The expansion into El Dorado and Alpine Counites was unanimously approved by members of the local county boards of supervisors who recognize the strengths of directly partnering with a locally governed heath plan to serve our region. SJCHC will do business within El Dorado and Alpine Counties as “Mountain Valley Health Plan,” and continue to do business within San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties as “Health Plan of San Joaquin.”
SJCHC has expanded to include representatives from its new service area counties. The governance of Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan now includes Olivia Byron-Cooper of El Dorado County and Terry Woodrow of Alpine County, who have been appointed by their respective county boards of supervisors as representatives of their communities.
Byron-Cooper began her career in El Dorado County in 2008 and held positions of Epidemiologist, Program Manager, Agency Quality Improvement Manager, and Director of Public Health before moving into the role of Director of the Health and Human Services Agency. In addition to holding a master’s degree in public health, Byron-Cooper has demonstrated her commitment to addressing the social drivers of health and improving community health outcomes.
Since 2003, Woodrow has been a member of the Alpine County Board of Supervisors, which is the legislative and executive authority of Alpine County. Woodrow represents District 4 on the Alpine County Board of Supervisors, which includes communities in the western and southernmost regions of the county. In addition, she is on the Board of the Mountain-Valley Emergency Medical Services Agency, which serves Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, and Mariposa Counties.
Greg Diederich, SJCHC Chair explained, “As a local initiative health plan, we partner across sectors to advance our mission to improve the quality of health care for the community, focusing on those enrolled in Medi-Cal. The collaborative achievement of this expansion with El Dorado and Alpine Counties is a milestone toward our greater vision to optimize community wellness. Having the privilege to enhance the expertise and guidance of SJCHC with the addition of Director Byron-Cooper and Supervisor Woodrow will ensure that the residents of El Dorado and Alpine Counties are represented as we continue our service as Mountain Valley Health Plan.”
You can read more about the Health Commission at www.hpsj.com/our-governance.
HPSJ will be hosting a Meet & Greet on Wednesday, November 15th, in Placerville, CA at the El Dorado Fairgrounds (Marshall Reception Hall) located at 100 Placerville Drive from 4pm to 8pm. This event offers the community an opportunity to meet Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan staff, learn about programs and services, and discuss expansion of our Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan in El Dorado and Alpine Counties.
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Health Plan of San Joaquin serves over 400,000 members in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Visit the website at www.hpsj.com.
Media Contact:
Vena Ford, Health Plan of San Joaquin, vford@hpsj.com