The Mecca office case managers would like to highlight a client, Joshua, who came in and met with Martha’s Village and Kitchen case managers seeking case management services. Joshua is a 63-year-old seasonal farmworker who is now unemployed due to a hospitalization he underwent because of kidney issues. When Joshua met with his case manager, he shared that before his hospitalization he was working as a farmworker a
Due to his health problems, he moved in with his sister while he recovered and managed his now more than $45,000 medical bill, all while not having any means of transportation or healthcare coverage. Joshua’s assigned case manager was able to help him apply for Medi-Cal benefits and provide him a reduced fee waiver to acquire a California state identification card, as his was expired at the time of his first meeting. Throughout various meetings with Joshua and his case manager, he was provided with additional case management services such as assistance with applying for CalFresh and making an appointment with the Social Security Administration. He was also referred to other providers that could help him get closer to resolving his high medical bills. With time and persistence, Joshua was approved for Medi-Cal, CalFresh benefits, Medicare part B as well as SSI. Now that he is receiving Medi-Cal, he can begin managing his expenses with the assistance of his case manager.
Furthermore, Joshua continues to meet regularly with his case manager for help with translating letters, guidance on how to contact his caseworker for questions he may have regarding his Medi-Cal benefits, unemployment benefit services, etc. Joshua is a success story because, with the help of Martha’s Village and Kitchen case managers, he was exposed to and has begun receiving resources he otherwise may not have received due to lack of knowledge and lack of assistance. The case managers at our Mecca office are set on working persistently to make a difference to those in need who belong to the community like Joshua.