Montage Health Welcomes OHCA to Monterey County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Monica Sciuto, Montage Health, monica.sciuto@montagehealth.org, 831-622-2756
MONTEREY, CA – Montage Health, Monterey County’s locally owned, non-profit healthcare organization is looking forward to the California Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) hosting their monthly board meeting in our community. The OHCA board previously announced plans to hold its August 28 meeting in Seaside.
“We welcome the OHCA board to the community we serve,” said Dr. Steven Packer, CEO of Montage Health. “We look forward to constructive dialogue on the issue of healthcare affordability and cost control in Monterey County. Montage Health has worked diligently with health insurers, providers and community partners to ensure that everyone in Monterey County has access to exceptional-quality healthcare locally, regardless of ability to pay or coverage.”
In addition to the August 28 meeting in Seaside, Montage Health is extending an invitation to the OHCA board for a site visit to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP), with an opportunity for face-to-face conversation about the hospital’s initiatives to contain costs and expand access in the county.
As a non-profit, community-based healthcare organization, Montage Health honors its responsibility to care for all those in need. Throughout its 90-year history, Community Hospital has maintained a generous Sponsored Care program, which includes free care to people at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, and substantially discounted care for those below 400%. Montage Health places no limitations on the numbers of patients served who have no or limited healthcare insurance.
Moreover, Montage Health reinvests millions of dollars each year exclusively in Monterey County to support community organizations that promote health and well-being. In 2023, the organization’s community benefit investments amounted to $195.9 million. Montage Health also invests heavily in the development of a local healthcare professional workforce, including more than $1 million per year to support nursing education at Monterey Peninsula College. The Montage Health Foundation funds over $600,000 annually in scholarships to area students looking to work in healthcare, and provides internships to that end as well.
“We provide many healthcare services to the community at a financial loss so that people here have unconstrained access to the critical care they need,” Dr. Packer said. “Our patients and our community deserve a world-class healthcare system that provides the full spectrum of services.
We are committed to ensuring that the hospital closures and service cutbacks that other California communities have experienced do not happen in Monterey County, and we look forward to collaborating with our community partners, and with OHCA, to the benefit of all.”
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ABOUT MONTAGE HEALTH
Montage Health is a non-profit healthcare organization with deep roots in Monterey County dating back more than 90 years. Independent and locally owned, Montage Health was created by Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula to deliver exceptional care beyond the hospital. Montage Health now also includes MoGo Urgent Care, Montage Wellness Center, Montage Health Foundation, Montage Medical Group for primary and specialty care, Aspire Health, and Ohana, the family-focused mental healthcare program for youth. Montage Health is continually investing in healthcare innovations to make the highest standard of care accessible to everyone in Monterey County. Learn more at www.montagehealth.org.
