LOS ANGELES – It’s estimated that clinical care impacts only 20 percent of health outcomes. Social factors such as poverty, housing, education, and transportation have a much greater impact on a person’s health. Today, L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated plan serving some of the most vulnerable people in Los Angeles County, is proud to announce its 15th round of Robert E. Tranquada Safety Net Initiative grants totaling $2,075,000. The grants will support 14 community clinics that are taking a whole person care approach to reduce disparities by addressing common social factors that impact their patients’ health.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated long existing social disparities that have resulted in health disparities, including mental health,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “This funding will help address underlying social factors that impact the health of our members and others in their communities.”
Grantee partners, which are receiving up to $150,000 each, will use the funding to implement multidisciplinary strategies that support care outside of a clinical setting and ultimately improve the overall health and well-being of the people they serve. It’s expected that more than 25,000 people will be reached through this initiative through projects such as offering farmers market vouchers to allow patients to access fresh fruit and vegetables and implementing a Social Determinants of Health assessment to assist limited English-speaking patients in navigating referrals to address social issues, like transportation and healthy food access. Additional projects include providing ready-made meals for individuals who are food insecure and enhancing navigation services for faith-based counseling among Korean American patients screening high for depression and anxiety. Working in collaboration with community partners, L.A. Care’s grantees will help address social determinants of health to achieve improved health outcomes in areas such as diabetes management and stable mental health.
3C Community Clinic, a clinic in the heart of Los Angeles dedicated to serving the needs of underserved and immigrant populations, is among the 14Tranquada grantees.
“We are deeply grateful for the generous support from L.A. Care. This grant will enable us to expand mental health services through faith-based counseling for the underserved Korean-American immigrant community,” said James Kim, CEO. “Our goal is to develop a culturally sensitive care model through this scale-up project, which can be replicated in other immigrant communities to address health equity issues. This grant will expedite that process, helping to narrow the gap in mental health care access and work toward solving health equity challenges across Los Angeles County.”
UMMA Community Clinic, part of a network of clinics addressing the health and well-being of underserved communities that face barriers to accessing care, is another of the Tranquada XV grantees.
“We are incredibly honored to receive the L.A. Care Tranquada XV grant, which will have a transformative impact on the way we address the health outcomes of our patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes,” said Adel Syed, Ed.D, UMMA Community Clinic CEO. “The funding will enable us to implement a comprehensive approach that not only treats the medical aspects of diabetes but also addresses the social and behavioral factors that often worsen the condition. By hiring a dedicated Registered Nurse, we will be better equipped to coordinate holistic care plans and provide essential support for patients."
L.A. Care launched the Tranquada Initiative in 2005 and has since invested more than $25 million in 205 projects to help safety net providers improve their core infrastructure capabilities and to support projects that have a long-term, systemic impact. It was named after Dr. Robert E. Tranquada, founding board member of L.A. Care, and the former Medical Director of L.A. County + USC Medical Center and former Dean of Medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC.
The 14 awardees in this 15th round of Tranquada Initiative grants are:
3C Community Clinic
APLA Health
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture
Garfield Health Center
Harbor Community Health Centers
Herald Christian Health Center
JWCH Institute
Los Angeles Christian Health Center
Northeast Valley Health Corporation
Saban Community Clinic
UMMA Community Clinic
Venice Family Clinic
Via Care Community Health Center
White Memorial Community Health Center
The Tranquada Initiative grants are part of L.A. Care’s commitment to advancing health equity, giving everyone a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.