L.A. Care announced the second round of Provider Recruitment Program grants as part of its Elevating the Safety Net initiative. The goal of the initiative is to recruit highly-qualified primary care physicians to the Los Angeles County Safety Net — those providers who offer access to a substantial share of the Medi-Cal population and the uninsured.
"We launched the $31 million initiative last summer to address a physician shortage that could grow to crisis levels," said L.A. Care CEO John Baackes. "It's estimated California will face a shortage of 8,800 primary care physicians by 2030."
The Provider Recruitment Program, one of three programs in the initiative, sent grant award letters to 19 clinics and practices, which plan to have a new physician on board by August 2019.
Sixteen were each approved for $125,000 to be used for salary subsidies, sign-on bonuses, and/or relocation costs for new primary care physicians recruited into the safety net.
The other three received smaller amounts to bring on physicians who will work part-time.
Each new recruit could treat up to 2,000 new patients in L.A. County. The next cycle application deadline is June 6, 2019.
Awardees
AAA Comprehensive Healthcare, North Hollywood
AltaMed Health Services Corp., El Monte
Antelope Valley Community Clinic, Palmdale
Arroyo Vista Family Health Center, Los Angeles
Chinatown Service Center, Los Angeles
Community Health Alliance of Pasadena, Pasadena
Comprehensive Community Health Centers, Sunland
Eisner Health, Downtown Los Angeles
Harbor Community Clinic, San Pedro
Los Angeles Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Center (LGBT Center), Los Angeles
Northeast Valley Health Corporation, Pacoima
Park Tree Community Health Center, Pomona
QueensCare Health Centers, Los Angeles
St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, South Los Angeles
The Achievable Foundation, Culver City
The Children’s Clinic, Bellflower
Universal Community Health Center, South Los Angeles
Westside Family Health Center, Santa Monica
Wilmington Community Clinic, Los Angeles
Fariborz Satey, MD, Lancaster
Newly recruited physicians to the safety net are eligible for the Physician Loan Repayment Program, another part of Elevating the Safety Net. Under the program, loan repayments of up to $5,000 per month for up to 36 months will be provided to the new recruits, as long as they continue to work within the safety net.
So far, nine physicians have been awarded loan repayment grants.
The third part of the initiative is the Scholarship Program. L.A. Care awarded eight full medical school scholarships when the initiative launched last July, including four to students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and four students at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.