In San Mateo County, a life-changing healthcare program has helped more than 150 people move out of skilled nursing facilities and into their own homes, empowering them to be active, engaged community members. Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) is proud to share their inspiring stories as living examples of how our Community Care Settings Program (CCSP) makes a measurable difference in people’s lives.

Born with severe Cerebral Palsy, eight-year-old Clover struggles every day with challenges that most people can only imagine. She cannot walk, is legally blind, cannot speak and cannot eat or drink through her mouth. That means Clover needs special care – which the California Children’s Services Pilot provides. This unique program has also empowered Clover’s mom Stephanie to advocate for Clover and other special needs kids.

After suffering a stroke in 2012, Rafael could not walk without a walker. Medical bills left he and his wife Zenaida struggling financially, so they lived in a rented garage. HPSM’s Community Care Settings Pilot got them a furnished apartment in a subsidized senior community that was much more affordable. The program also provided Rafael with the support he needed to recover from his stroke.

After being hospitalized for sepsis and a blood clot in his leg, Rick was diagnosed with several other chronic health conditions, including diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, an enlarged prostate and an atrial fibrillation. After moving into a long-term care facility, Rick enrolled in HPSM’s Community Care Settings Pilot. The program got him an affordable apartment of his own and mobilized resources to support his health.

Dora is 70, and likes to stay active. She goes to the gym, enjoys hiking and dancing, and works as a food server in a senior living facility cafeteria. She also spends time with family. Though her husband passed away several years ago, she has a 50-year-old daughter and sees her three grandchildren often.

In 2014, Eric was in a terrible automobile accident, leaving him confined to a wheelchair for more than a year. “That crash changed my whole world”, he said. “I had to learn to walk again. But I was just grateful to be alive.”

Jennifer grew up in San Mateo County, but never felt at home. Her parents were drug addicts, and after they lost custody, she cycled through a series of foster homes. In her teens, she started experimenting with drugs and alcohol, which led to addiction in her twenties. Jennifer eventually started using meth, one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs. Unable to hold down a job and pay rent, she wound up living on the streets.

From 1990 on, Marcia’s Daycare provided hundreds of kids in South San Francisco with a safe, nurturing home-away-from home while their parents worked. The community even gave awards to its founder, Marcia, for making a positive difference in people’s lives. But in 2008, the Great Recession hit, and parents who lost their jobs could no longer afford child care. Marcia lost so many clients that she had to shut her daycare down in 2012 after 22 years in business.

At age 55, a stroke left the right side of Marijo’s body virtually paralyzed. From then on, she could no longer work – instead, she needed someone to take care of her. Then Marijo started getting regular home visits through HomeAdvantage, which brings health care to people at home whenever they need it. With the program’s help, Marijo was able to regain her health and independence.

In 1972, Paul got shot point-blank while being robbed. This severely damaged his stomach and pancreas, starting a series of lifelong health problems, including Type 2 diabetes. After being laid off, Paul lost his health insurance. Nearly three decades later, he was able to get health care under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicare expansion program, allowing him to get the care and medications he needed.

After Kojo got his law degree from Howard University, he worked as a paralegal in Washington DC while studying for the Bar Exam to become an attorney. Then, tragically, everything he had worked so hard to build suddenly collapsed when he had a psychological breakdown. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which causes psychosis, hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.