Grants are a Part of the Health Plan’s $155 Million Elevating the Safety Net Initiative
LOS ANGELES – L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, has announced its second round of Residency Support Program grants as part of the five-year, $155 million Elevating the Safety Net initiative (ESN). The health plan is committing nearly $4.4 million to establish nine new residency positions at four medical institutions. Some of the funding will also support required core faculty positions. This is all part of L.A. Care’s efforts to address a growing physician shortage. A University of California, San Francisco report found California faces a shortage of 8,800 primary care physicians by 2030.
“Studies show that physicians often stay in the region where they complete their residency, and we need them here now,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “Marginalized communities in L.A. County are already experiencing a physician shortage, so we have to do all we can to keep physicians here.”
In July of 2019, L.A. Care committed more than $5.2 million to establish 14 new residency positions at five medical institutions.
L.A. Care’s 2020 Residency Support Program grants will support residency slots launching in fall 2021 at the following institutions:
Adventist Health White Memorial Charitable Foundation
AltaMed Health Services Corporation
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Elevating the Safety Net launched in 2018 with three initial programs – a provider recruitment program, a provider loan repayment program, and a medical school scholarship program. Since the launch, L.A. Care has awarded 144 recruitment grants, 109 new physicians have already been hired, and 69 physicians have been approved for loan repayment grants. Twenty-four students have received full scholarships to medical school. Twelve are attending the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and twelve are attending the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Elevating the Safety Net has also grown to include the Residency Support Program and training for non-clinical/paraprofessionals through our Community Health Worker (CHW) Training Program and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Home Care Training Program. Forty-seven CHWs have successfully completed a rigorous 10-week training program facilitated by the Loma Linda University Health Promoters Academy, and the IHSS program has trained about 3,000 caregivers to help them better care for their client, who is often a family member, and to make them a more integrated part of the client’s care team. Over the next three years, the program will train another 3,000 caregivers.
About L.A. Care Health Plan
L.A. Care Health Plan serves more than 2.2 million members in Los Angeles County, making it the largest publicly operated health plan in the country. L.A. Care offers four health coverage plans including Medi-Cal, L.A. Care Covered™, L.A. Care Cal MediConnect Plan and the PASC-SEIU Homecare Workers Health Care Plan, all dedicated to being accountable and responsive to members. As a public entity, L.A. Care’s mission is to provide access to quality health care for L.A. County's low-income communities, and to support the safety net required to achieve that purpose. L.A. Care prioritizes quality, access and inclusion, elevating health care for all of L.A. County. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Media Contact
Penny Griego | Media Relations Specialist
213.694.1250 x 4560
310.613.8309 | Mobile
pgriego@lacare.org
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