News & Updates

Dear colleagues,

On Monday, interim CCH Chief Financial Officer Brian Buchanan and I presented Contra Costa Health’s proposed 2025-26 budget to the Board of Supervisors. I want to take a moment to speak directly to you about where we stand.

CCH has grown rapidly over the past decade, and our community relies on us more than ever. Contra Costa Health Plan membership has more than doubled since 2020, and in the past year served more than 323,000 unique Medi-Cal members, which is an all-time high. CCH services touch 1 out of 3 county residents, and we have been adding new programs like our youth stabilization unit at CCRMC that help us address critical needs in the community.

At the same time, we face real uncertainty about the future. Potential federal Medicaid cuts could have a major impact on our funding and the services we provide, and tens of thousands of county residents could lose their healthcare coverage. The details are not yet clear, and it may be months before we have a full picture.

The Board will consider adoption of the proposed 2025-26 budget at a hearing in May, but we will likely return to provide updates throughout the upcoming fiscal year as we gain more clarity about the federal budget.

What is clear is that our mission has never been more important. Whether or not the patient can pay, or whether or not we are reimbursed for services, it is our legal and moral obligation to offer the best possible care to anyone who needs it. We are the safety net for Contra Costa County. That will not change, no matter what happens in Washington.

We will continue to focus on what we can control: improving and ensuring access to care, strengthening prevention efforts, and making health more attainable for every person in our community. We have built a strong, resilient foundation. Together, we will navigate whatever lies ahead .

Thank you for all you do. Your work matters, today and every day. I will continue to share updates whenever there are developments.

Sincerely,
Ori

Contra Costa County honored volunteers from across Contra Costa Health (CCH), including Contra Costa Regional Medical Center & Health Centers and the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Tuesday with a proclamation from the Board of Supervisors recognizing National Volunteer Week (April 21-27).

Rhonda Smith, assistant to the chief executive officer at CCH; Deputy Director Matt Kaufmann; and Public Health Nurse Program Manager Daniella Poy-Wing spoke about the vital role volunteers play in supporting hospitals and communities throughout Contra Costa County. They highlighted the dedication, compassion and impact of those who generously give their time to help others.

We are deeply appreciative of our volunteers and the meaningful difference they make in the lives of so many.

From left: Casey Castaldi, volunteer program coordinator; Patricia Harris, volunteer for 24 years; and Rhonda Smith, assistant to the chief executive officer.

Dr. Sergio Urcuyo has been appointed Chief Medical Officer for Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers.

Dr. Urcuyo will provide physician oversight in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He succeeds Dr. Samir Shah, who has transitioned to a new role in the Office of the Director.

Dr. Urcuyo began his career in 2009 as a resident and has gone on to hold numerous leadership roles, including chief resident and medical staff president. In his most recent role as Hospital Medical Director, Dr. Urcuyo was instrumental in guiding CCRMC through the COVID pandemic.

He completed medical school at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine.

Colleagues:

It is my pleasure to announce that Rachael Birch has joined the senior leadership team at Contra Costa Health as a deputy director.

Rachael has spent nearly 18 years in Public Health, including the past three as chief operating officer. Her experience with budget management and cross-division collaboration will be key to continuing our work, aligning services and improving continuity of care across CCH.

She joins Lavonna Martin and Matt Kaufmann as my deputies, filling the vacancy created when Erika Jenssen retired last month.

Rachael’s past successes include serving as project director for our Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) program and administrator for the Whole Person Care program. She has played important roles in the expansion of HCH and our school-based health centers, opioid response and COVID emergency response.

More recently, she served on the transformation team that has helped to advise our current improvement work. With her promotion, I would like to share an updated CCH organizational chart(External link) that shows how we are developing the department’s structure.

The deputies manage centralized administrative and business support functions shared by all of CCH, ensuring that all operational areas can take advantage of the size and depth of CCH when it comes to personnel, IT, capital planning, project management, compliance and quality.

We have several open leadership positions on our chart, and we are actively working to fill them. I will keep you informed as we progress.

Thank you all,

Ori Tzvieli, MD MS
Chief Executive Officer and Health Director (Interim)
Health Officer, Contra Costa County

Colleagues,

Contra Costa Health (CCH) experienced much change during the first months of 2025. But our commitment remains to improvement within the organization, to make the most effective use of all our resources, for our patients, clients, and the whole community.

During 2024, leadership and experts from across CCH embarked on a transformation process to consider how to better align our organization and services and adapt to changes in the healthcare landscape. The recommendations from our initial assessment included ways to improve how we deliver care and services, and ways to better support our services administratively.

I want to update you about our progress as we move into a new phase of work.

Over the next few months, we will assemble a leadership team to enhance our planning and systemwide strategy and centralize some key areas such as compliance, quality and capital facilities, in part to ensure we are well prepared for whatever changes the federal administration may have in store for healthcare.

Two of the team’s initial tasks will be to develop a new project management office, which will oversee future strategy development and implementation of transformation work, and to lead an in-depth assessment into the ways we provide physical and behavioral health services and implement managed care across our system.

I want to emphasize that no changes will be made without first receiving input from our staff and creating a detailed action plan. I do want to share the report that helped to shape our ideas about this process, which you can find by following this iSite link(External link).

CCH began working with Alvarez & Marsal, our organizational development consultant, nearly a year ago to create clear-eyed recommendations from experts outside the department. This report is informed by dozens of interviews with our staff. It contains well-considered suggestions for helping CCH to sustain its high levels of service and survive in the modern healthcare world.

But I want to emphasize that this document is not an action plan – that is something we will develop moving forward, driven by our leadership team and you. Some of A&M’s suggestions will stand. Others will not. It is likely new ideas not in the report will gain hold and become part of this process.

All that to say we are at the beginning of a conversation about how CCH can be better, and that I value your voice and input. We need your feedback to improve our services.I also want to make sure everyone stays informed, and I will keep in touch as we go. Stay tuned to together.cchealth.org for updates.

Thank you for your continued work and passion for serving our community.  

Sincerely,

Ori Tzvieli, MD MS
Chief Executive Officer and Health Director (Interim)
Health Officer, Contra Costa County

This April, Contra Costa Health (CCH) proudly joins the American Public Health Association and health departments nationwide in celebrating National Public Health Week (April 7-13). This annual observance highlights the vital role public health plays in shaping our communities.

Public health influences every aspect of daily life – from expanding vaccine access and promoting mental well-being to ensuring clean air, healthy food, and equitable healthcare.

Here in Contra Costa, this week holds special meaning as we reflect on the unique challenges facing our diverse communities and the impactful work our public health professionals do to address them.

Through programs focused on disease prevention, maternal and child health, harm reduction, violence prevention, nutrition access and so much more, CCH is committed to protecting and improving community well-being.

As federal support for public health faces uncertainty, National Public Health Week also serves as a reminder of the urgent need to sustain and expand these critical programs.

We are proud to honor our dedicated team and reaffirm our mission to improve the health of all people in Contra Costa.

Let’s celebrate our progress and continue working toward a healthier future for all.

Thank you, Public Health professionals, for all you do.

Colleagues,

We are writing to let you know that Sharron Mackey, the CEO of Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP) the past eight years, will be retiring at the end of March.

Sharron has been passionate about CCHP members’ health and access to quality care. During her time as CEO, Sharron guided CCHP through a time of significant change and growth that saw more than 100,000 new members join the Health Plan. She skillfully led the county’s transition to a single-plan model and implemented an array of new benefits to improve health outcomes in our community.

We are grateful for Sharron’s dedication and leadership. We wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life.

While we recruit for Sharron’s permanent replacement, Dr. Irene Lo will serve as CCHP’s interim CEO.

Dr. Lo has been CCHP’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) since August 2023 and is currently president of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association. As CMO, she has hands-on knowledge of the Health Plan’s operations and will help ensure continuity as CCHP prepares for a state-mandated expansion into the Medicare market. Dr. Lo is deeply committed to ensuring access to quality care and advocating for a patient-centered approach that aligns with the mission and values of the organization.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Lo on her new interim role!