Vision
In partnership with our members, community partners and providers, we strive towards making Los Angeles County a leader in ensuring that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
Health Equity and Disparities Mitigation Plan: A Letter from the Director
L.A. Care has been an advocate for health equity before we even called it health equity. Taking care of Los Angeles County’s most vulnerable residents is part of our mission. I am excited to present you with our first ever L.A. Care “Health Equity and Disparities Mitigation Plan” for 2023-2025.
It is clear that poverty, implicit and systemic biases, and racism adversely impact the health and wellness of those who are poor, people with disabilities, those who experience homelessness, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community.
Our Health Equity and Disparities Mitigation Plan creates a road map and an action plan for our internal and community stakeholders. The plan focuses on four Health Equity Zones:
- Address key health disparities: close racial and ethnic gaps in health outcomes among our members.
- Lead change: provide leadership and be an ally for community partners to promote health equity and social justice.
- Move towards equitable care: ensure that our members have access to care and services that are free of bias and that our providers are supported in delivering equitable, culturally tailored care.
- Embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion: serve as a model in supporting an equitable and inclusive work environment, as reflected in our workforce and business practices.
I urge each of you to become familiar with the Health Equity and Disparities Mitigation Plan and be an agent of change in this movement. If you have any questions, concerns, or ways to help, please reach out to me as I welcome your input and partnership to further support our vulnerable members.
Alex Li, MD
L.A. Care Chief Health Equity Officer
Health Equity Mitigation Plan (English)
Health Equity Mitigation Plan Appendix (English)
Health Equity Mitigation Plan (Spanish)
Health Equity Mitigation Plan Appendix (Spanish)
Health Equity Work
L.A. Care's Health Equity Action Plan provides us with a road map and seeks to hold ourselves accountable to making a difference:
Latest Efforts
- Took action to ensure access to care and to support the community in response to the January 2025 wildfires. This includes the creation of a $10 million L.A. Care Network and Community Relief Fund, hosting a wildfire relief donation drive, and sponsoring community-based organizations to provide help on the ground. View our Wildfire Relief efforts web page to see how we are supporting members, providers and communities.
- Produced our first-ever Los Angeles County State of Children’s Health report, in partnership with Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The report includes four policy briefs that identify core issues impacting kids and teens, and key recommendations to proactively address them.
Infrastructure Building
- Adopting an official Statement of Principles on Social Justice and Systemic Racism on July 2020.
- Passing a Board Resolution on gun violence prevention.
- Creating a Health Equity Department.
- Creating a Chief Health Equity Officer position to prioritize and oversee the health plan's equity, diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Implementing an Equity Council Steering Committee with subcommittees focused on Members, Providers, and Employees.
- Training all L.A. Care leadership and staff on Diversity and Inclusion, including concepts of implicit bias and cultural humility.
Archive of Previous Initiatives and Programs
- L.A. Care Health Plan and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Host Roundtable to Identify Actionable Solutions to Children’s Health Disparities in Los Angeles County (2023).
- Q&A session for the UNIDAD documentary, a the story of the Los Angeles-based Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) organization founded in 1981 to help advocate for disparities during the HIV/AIDS pandemic (2023).
- Screening of the documentary ‘Black Men in White Coats', generously offered by American Medical Association, and Q&A (2021).
- COVID-19 Disparities Leadership Summits. Health Care and Community Leaders Host Second COVID-19 Disparities Leadership Summit (2020).