A Message from L.A. Care's Board Chair

Hector De La Torre

Delivering on Innovative Health Care When It Matters Most

 

As a health plan that has exclusively served Los Angeles County for 23 years, L.A. Care is dedicated to local health care.

In Los Angeles County, we are hard at work tackling the same nationwide health challenges as other regions, especially the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to face an unprecedented homelessness crisis, which negatively impacts the physical and mental health of those individuals without a decent place to live. Even worse, nearly three people experiencing homelessness die each day on the streets of L.A. County.

To address this dire situation, L.A. Care is mobilizing its resources to ensure more access to permanent, supportive housing and support recuperative beds for individuals experiencing homelessness transitioning out of a hospital.

L.A. Care is also developing and implementing creative approaches to address the many social determinants of health, which account for 80 percent of a person's health outcomes. Factors such as food security, housing security and early childhood education contribute to a person's health and well-being, so we must take action to support the whole person.

One such initiative is L.A. Care's partnership with Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan to open seven new (and refresh seven existing) Community Resource Centers. These community-based centers are located throughout L.A. County and help our members to be active, healthy and informed.

As we face an unprecedented pandemic, L.A. Care is working with our provider partners and county health leaders to ensure that our members have access to the health care they need. I am so proud of the wonderful work L.A. Care is doing as the people's health plan. We will continue our commitment to health care access and quality for all of our members.

Hector De La Torre
Board Chair, L.A. Care Health Plan