e-Edition
Sign up for email newsletters
to submit an obituary
Please email obits@times-standard.com or call 530-896-7718. Please include your name, mailing address, and phone number along with the copy and photo.
Sign up for email newsletters
e-Edition
Trending:
Health care has been on lots of people’s minds lately given last year’s longest-ever government shutdown stalemate over the Affordable Care Act subsidies and the enhanced premium tax credits, which expired at the end of 2025. We’re already seeing the impact in Northern California counties with 37% fewer new sign-ups for Covered California as of Jan. 31, 2026 compared to the same time last year. This decline was likely caused by steep increases in insurance premiums — average monthly premiums for middle-income consumers increased from $399 to $737 per person. Compounding this issue, as part of H.R. 1 implementation, the state will soon be rolling out modifications to Medi-Cal eligibility, making it more difficult for low-income individuals and families to access and maintain coverage. The Medi-Cal changes going into effect over the next few years include discontinued coverage for individuals with certain types of immigration status, 6-month renewal periods, work requirements, and co-payments.
With approximately 43% of Humboldt’s population covered by Medi-Cal at the end of 2025, health plans, health care providers, and county social services are brainstorming strategies to help people maintain their vital health benefits.
In our community, we’ve also been challenged with hit after hit to our obstetrics (OB) delivery system with Redwood Memorial closing their program in 2021, followed by Mad River Community Hospital’s delivery department closure in 2024. Fortunately, there are some emerging opportunities to support expectant mothers in our community. Through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), the state was awarded over $233 million in Year 1 of the 5-Year program. The state’s RHTP plan, published by the California Hospital Association, outlines support for community-based obstetric services, such as doulas, enhanced training opportunities for primary care providers (PCPs), and funding for innovative telehealth specialty care programs. Moreover, the RHTP proposal includes additional strategies for workforce development, enhanced technology, and reform of payment policies for health care.
It’s crucial for our community to plan strategically for RHTP funding, so we can sustain and grow evidence-based programs that improve access to affordable health care.
One component of the RHTP ties to a tremendous need in our community — insufficient and untimely access to specialty care. The state’s proposal includes offering eConsults (electronic consultations between PCPs and specialists) and bolstering hub-and-spoke networks that allow real-time access to specialists combined with embedded community health workers to improve chronic disease outcomes.
In addition to the programs supported by the Rural Health Transformation Program, be on the lookout for new mental health and substance use facilities and service expansions throughout the North Coast as funded by Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP). This voter-directed, Proposition 1 funding will support construction and program expansion for more than nine organizations (inclusive of four tribally-lead agencies) and 11 unique projects throughout Del Norte and Humboldt counties. In spring 2026, additional award announcements are anticipated. The funded projects, such as the Yurok Tribe’s Wah-Sekw-Won Treatment Center and Mad River Community Hospital’s Addressing Crisis Care with Dignity, will help expand much-needed behavioral health and treatment services for youth and adults. The Prop. 1 programs demonstrate that communities and the state can come together to drive revenue generation strategies that create the number and types of programs needed to improve the health and well-being of the North Coast.
However, due to persistent and projected workforce shortages, including the current 20% behavioral health workforce gap in Humboldt County, urgent action is needed to ensure adequate staffing levels for the new and expanded BHCIP-funded facilities.
With new funding to expand mental health services and advance rural health transformation across the region, we have a real opportunity to build a comprehensive, sustainable system of accessible and affordable care on the North Coast. Achieving this will require us to think differently and challenge long-standing approaches. The current system is fragmented and insufficient, and now is the time to come together, seize these opportunities, and develop innovative solutions that strengthen the health and wellness programs our communities need.
Tina Tvedt Schaible, MHA, CMPE, is a project director and past executive with 20 years of experience in the health care field. She can be contacted at Tina@transformbizservices.com.
Copyright 2026 Times-Standard. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.
