Thousands of patients in Santa Barbara County are preparing for a major change in their medical care as new federal and state rules reshape who can be served at county health centers.
Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, Director of the County Health Department, said the shift comes after the federal Department of Health and Human Services reclassified Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) as a “federal public benefit.”
That designation means County Health Centers, which have long received federal funding, can no longer treat patients Medi-Cal identifies as having “unsatisfactory immigration status.”…