Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Dr. Takashi Wada on Friday announced receipt of $229,000 in Affordable Care Act funding to support the Lompoc Health Care Center’s patient-centered medical home project through new construction and facility renovations.

“The Lompoc Health Care Center is the health-care home for more than 8,400 patients, providing access to quality health care for the residents of Lompoc,” Dr. Wada said. “The renovations afforded through this opportunity will enable the LHCC to provide even higher quality services to the patients that rely upon them.”

The patient-centered medical home delivery model is designed to improve quality of care through team-based coordination of care, treating the many needs of the patient at once, increasing access to care, and empowering the patient to be a partner in their own care.

“This award will create a patient resource center that will provide training and education; a centrally located case management area for team consultations; a behavioral health environment; and an increase in the number of exam rooms. The renovations will lead to improvements to patient flow, case management, and patient education,” said Jeanie Sleigh, LHCC Health Center administrator.

The Santa Barbara County Health Care Centers continue to play a critical role in helping the public learn about new coverage opportunities under the Affordable Care Act, by conducting outreach and enrollment activities that link individuals to affordable coverage options available through Covered California. This award helps support high quality care and updated facilities for the more than 4,200 newly enrolled into health care coverage by the Public Health Department.