{"id":32070,"date":"2023-10-19T16:04:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T16:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/medicaid-frc-san-francisco\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T21:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:48:12","slug":"medicaid-frc-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/medicaid-frc-san-francisco\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfSe puede aprovechar Medicaid como fuente sostenible de financiamiento para la prevenci\u00f3n en los centros de recursos familiares?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In a 21st<\/sup> century child and family well-being system<\/a>, government and communities work together to support families upstream and\u202fprevent crises that might result in child welfare system involvement. As one effective element of such a system, family resource centers<\/a> (FRCs) provide community-driven services to children and families, often in economically underserved neighborhoods. While every center\u2019s service array is unique to its community, most share a common challenge of securing adequate public and private funding to support the flexible and prevention services that families need most.<\/p>\n

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Although many FRCs have become familiar with Title IV-E Prevention funding, another source of federal financing \u2014 Medicaid Administrative Activities, or MAA \u2014often is less understood and overlooked. In the City and County of San Francisco, however, building on a previous success in Alameda County, Calif., a strong coalition of partners is testing whether and how MAA can be successfully accessed by FRCs as a sustainable source of funds to help prevent child welfare system involvement and support positive outcomes for families. To date, the San Francisco FRCs have had one round of successful Medicaid administrative claiming, totaling around $300,000, which is expected to increase over time.<\/p>\n

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This brief provides a preliminary snapshot of San Francisco\u2019s approach, including developing a sustainable funding structure, building capacity among the FRCs to participate in Medicaid administrative claiming, and lessons learned.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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A big reason family resource centers are so effective is because they connect families to a more comprehensive system of support. They remove barriers and connect with other systems and organizations to support families. However, this happens at an administrative cost that is not typically resourced or funded to scale. Tapping into Medicaid Administrative Activities for this component of the work holds incredible promise and potential for the sustainability and growth of our system of care, and even greater promise for families in the years to come.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Theresa Zighera, Interim Executive Director, San Francisco Department of Early Childhood<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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San Francisco\u2019s experience<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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San Francisco maintains a network of 26 FRCs created and funded by the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood<\/a> (formerly First 5 San Francisco), the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families<\/a>, and the San Francisco Human Services Agency<\/a>,2<\/sup><\/a> with backbone support from Safe & Sound<\/a>. In 2020, that network of FRCs was facing possible declining budget support amid rapidly increasing needs. With consulting assistance from The Public Works Alliance and Optimas Services, Inc., the group approached its local Medicaid authority through the Department of Public Health about submitting a MAA reimbursement claim for some FRC activities.<\/p>\n

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The idea had been raised and dismissed before. The San Francisco FRCs vary greatly in the services they offer, but none provide direct health care. At first blush, they seemed unlikely to be an eligible recipient of Medicaid funds. Some also were daunted by prior experiences with or preconceptions about Medicaid and the threat of audits and repayment. But in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the American Rescue Plan was passed, \u201cpeople were willing to think differently,\u201d said Katie Albright, former chief executive officer and president of Safe & Sound who now serves as a senior advisor for the organization.<\/p>\n

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After a close look at the services the FRCs provide, facilitated by data that each network member already was providing to the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood, consultant Alex Briscoe of The Public Works Alliance and his team were able to identify a number of activities that met MAA program guidelines<\/a> and helped connect Medicaid-eligible families to a number of FRC services:<\/p>\n