Your well-being goes beyond medical care. Dignity Health in Santa Cruz offers resources such as health screenings, wellness and community programs in a convenient, comfortable setting, close to home, to help ensure you stay in good health.
Our education program offers a wide variety of health, wellness and rehabilitation classes for people of all ages and abilities. Our classes are designed and taught by health care professionals who understand the unique, complex health care needs of different individuals and groups of people. Our teachers are skilled clinicians who can also keep a watchful eye and refer you for medical care if needed.
At Dignity Health in Santa Cruz, a key part of our mission is supporting the health of our communities in meaningful, measurable ways. That's why we go to great lengths to study and ascertain the most pressing health needs of the communities we serve.
Open Enrollment is a time of year when you can sign up for health insurance. Additionally, you may qualify to enroll if you have a qualifying life event, like losing coverage through your employer.
September 20, 2021 - October 15, 2021
A primary care doctor helps you to manage your health. Common services include regular physical exams, prescribing medications, treating minor illness and injuries, managing chronic conditions, and screenings for common health problems.
Should you need specialized care, your primary care doctor can expertly guide your next steps, and connect you to the right specialist. There are five main types of primary care doctors: Family medicine doctors for the whole family; internal medicine-pediatric doctors for preventing and treating diseases, pediatricians who specialize in children, internal medicine doctors who care for adults, and OB-GYNs for adult women.
Choosing and building a relationship with one of these doctors can help you live a healthy lifestyle based on your individual needs.
One type of health insurance is not better than the other, but there are differences. With an HMO plan you will choose a Primary Care Provider (PCP), who will coordinate the care you need for any specialists. Services are all provided through physicians and facilities in the health plan's HMO network. With a PPO you may also choose a PCP, but you will not need a referral to see another physician. It will usually cost less to see in-network physicians than an out-of-network physician. Whether you are considering an HMO or a PPO, you can check which doctors, medical groups, hospitals, etc. are in the network before you enroll.
