Lizeth Granados: Caring Hearts as a Catalyst for Change

In community, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Through the quiet labor and sacrifices of its members, a simple gathering of people is transformed into a catalyst for change, accomplishing things that no one could have done on their own. And in every community, there are those who inspire others to greatness through their own actions. From those people, the CEOs, social workers, caretakers and volunteers alike, organizations develop and become backbones of support for those who need it most. Health Plan of San Joaquin is one such organization, and its CEO, Lizeth Granados, continually inspires those around her through her humility, hard work and dedication to the people she serves.

Health Plan of San Joaquin is proud to serve over 380,000 members across several counties, with plans of continued expansion. As a health plan provider that serves the Medi-Cal members in the region, their mission is to “provide high-quality healthcare for our members through community partnerships.” This year marks the 30th year since its founding, and although the anniversary may not be marked with elaborate fanfare, HPSJ continues to stand as a bulwark of the Central Valley community. As its CEO, Lizeth has helped maintain Health Plan of San Joaquin through her leadership and expertise. With more than 15 years of experience in health care and community wellness, she has worked with HPSJ for six years, initially serving as its COO and in the role of its CEO for the last three years. “It’s a great organization that’s so mission focused,” she said. “I love our mission. I love the fact we’re here for our members and we partner with the community as a whole to be able to do that.”

Early Choices
When Lizeth first entered the work force, she wasn’t sure what career path she wanted to take. “I’d always wanted to be a teacher,” she said, and for years she worked toward an academic career. Throughout high school, she did volunteer work tutoring children who lived in homeless shelters, helping them with their homework and keeping track of their assignments. “It was a really great experience for me at that time, being able to support them and help the students develop the skills to do well in school,” she said. She studied political science throughout college and chose sociology as her master’s degree focus with the intention of teaching. But the brief time she spent teaching in an academic environment soon taught her that it wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. “I realized that it wasn’t for me,” she said. “I did know that I did like helping people; I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew that’s what I wanted to focus my career in.”
After she obtained her degrees, Lizeth had the chance to work for a nonprofit organization that served low-income Latino immigrants, and it was there she found her true calling, working in the nonprofit sector and serving the Medi-Cal population. “I always enjoyed doing research. I was always fascinated by the social interactions and how it impacted people as a whole,” she said. “That theme still carries through in my career, society as a whole and what we can do to better our community.”

Return to Nonprofit Work
From that initial nonprofit job, Lizeth transitioned to managing a Medi-Cal program for seniors and people with disabilities. Through her grit, determination and heart for the population, her role continued to expand until she was working with provider services and operations. She spent a few years working in the private sector while also continuing to serve the Medi-Cal population, but she eventually returned full time to the nonprofit sector. “I always kind of knew that Medi-Cal was where my heart was,” Lizeth said. When the opportunity arose to work with Health Plan of San Joaquin as their COO, she accepted it immediately, relocating from Southern California to the Central Valley. “It’s been really helpful to kind of grow into the role; I worked my way up throughout my career,” Lizeth said. As a lifelong Californian, she soon fell in love with San Joaquin County and the surrounding areas. “It’s such a great community,” she said. “Everyone is so warm and welcoming; everyone is willing to work together to achieve our common goal.”

From its humble roots as a local health plan provider solely located in San Joaquin with under 50,000 members, Health Plan of San Joaquin has grown exponentially in its numbers and offerings. The company had been growing for quite some time; in 2014, it expanded into Stanislaus County and two years later it received the National Committee for Quality Assurance, or NCQA, accreditation. Lizeth’s work with HPSJ has been particularly inspiring and innovative. Under her leadership, HPSJ expanded into Alpine County and El Dorado County under the name Mountain Valley Health Plan. Most recently Health Plan of San Joaquin launched a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, or D-SNP, which helps with coordination of care for those who have both Medi-Cal and Medicare, working to make sure individuals can take full advantage of the resources available to them.

Investments in Medical Access
Throughout all these achievements, they have continued to make investments into the community by contributing to projects such as the BeWell Behavioral Health Campus expansion and partnering with Cal State Stanislaus to help with their program center for training nurses, as well as offering opportunities to obtain community health worker certificates. They have invested over $50 million in their Community Reinvestment Program, which helps a variety of programs that increase medical access for their members. “A lot of the investments we’ve made are to improve overall care for members in our community and build longevity for the health care system as a whole. That’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of,” Lizeth said. “At the end of the day, it’s really where my heart is, to ensure that we are all doing what we can to better the overall community and to be able to do what we can to support our members.”

And its membership is substantial. Alongside HealthNet and Kaiser Permanente, Health Plan of San Joaquin has the largest volume of Medi-Cal membership. Roughly 26 percent of the residents of San Joaquin County are members of HPSJ. “If you’re not our member, you probably know someone who is a member,” Lizeth said. But whether you’re a member or not, they emphasize the importance of health and preventive care for every individual. “Ensuring that you’re healthy is probably the most important aspects we can focus on,” she said. The overall health of the community is inseparable from the health of the individuals. Many of the services they invest in and provide are focused on providing education and access to as many people as they can, whether it’s making sure people have access to basic immunizations or can see their doctors for their yearly checkups. “That’s probably one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role; we’re here to be able to serve the community as a whole and find innovative ways to address any social disparities that we may have in our community,” Lizeth said. “Our intention is to continue to grow and ensure that we are growing alongside what the needs are in the community.”

Teaching Others
Lizeth’s career is an inspiring arc of growth and a testament to the power of hard work, humility and a heart for helping others. Although she has inspired countless other professionals in their own careers, she brings the focus back to those who helped her in her own journey. “I’ve been able to learn a lot from individuals who are in completely different fields,” she said. “I’ve been able to gain a lot from their insight on how to be a leader and what that looks like.” She doesn’t consider the years she spent working toward a career in academia as wasted. In fact, she appreciates what the experience taught her about trusting her intuition and learning to be flexible and take risks. “You never know what will be the right fit for you,” Lizeth said. “It’s okay to change gears; it’s beneficial to take those risks.”

Her advice to young professionals comes from her own experience. She encourages them to avoid becoming static and instead look for ways to grow in skill and capacity. “There are different expectations for every role and different skillsets that are required. Ensuring that you’re evolving along with the roles is always important,” she said. But above all, she encourages young professionals to look for the humanity in every person, regardless of their position or experience. “You always need to treat people the way you want to be treated, regardless of a person’s role, whether they’re a member or someone out in the community,” she said. “Treating people with respect and care carries a lot.”

Throughout the past 30 years, Health Plan of San Joaquin has stood as a testament to the power of community. It has helped lift up those who need it the most, provided resources to those without them, and enabled education for vast portions of the population. As they look forward to the decades to come, they aim to grow with the same mindset that has brought them so far, a mission of mutual flourishing, addressing disparities with innovation. The growth it has experienced under Lizeth’s leadership is only the beginning; they plan to eventually expand their offerings to provide for as many people as they can. But above all, their focus is on the needs of the community that they serve. Lizeth is passionately committed to ensuring that they remain a backbone of the local community and provide the services their members require. With her at the helm, leading by her humble and hard-working example, Health Plan of San Joaquin will continue to stand out as evidence of the power of caring hearts, selfless labor and community as a catalyst for change.