The California Health Care Foundation in partnership with the Center for Care Innovations is providing grants of up to $100,000 to help safety-net practices implement virtual care. Community health centers and independent physician practices that predominantly serve low-income communities are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply for funding is Friday, June 19, 2020, at 5 p.m.

The Connected Care Accelerator grant program is designed to help California's health care safety net respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and consists of two separate tracks:

• Infrastructure and Spread: CHCF will provide $50,000 grants to up to 30 practices to expand and improve virtual care. The goal of this track is to support early implementation and to build the necessary infrastructure to provide virtual care. This track is well-suited for practices that serve communities of color and others most vulnerable to COVID-19. Practices should have existing data and IT capabilities for patient-level reporting. 
• Innovation Learning Collaborative: CHCF will provide $100,000 grants and technical assistance to up to 20 practices that are ready to test, learn, and share best practices. This track is well-suited for practices that have a clear desire to expand and sustain virtual care; established data, IT, and QI infrastructure; and a committed project team. 

CHCF is looking for practices that serve at least 8,000 unduplicated patients and provide comprehensive primary care services to a substantial percentage of Medi-Cal and uninsured patients. They will select participants from across California with the goal of achieving geographic diversity and reaching communities most vulnerable to COVID-19. 

CCI is also hosting an informational webinar on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at 1 p.m., for individuals who would like to learn more about the program, and get their questions answers prior to submitting an application.