The Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities is honoring L.A. Care and other awardees at its 18th Annual Access Awards Luncheon on Monday, October 19, 2009, at the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens. The event is held to recognize those initiatives that have made significant contributions to enhancing and improving the lives of people with disabilities in Los Angeles County.
L.A. Care’s Seniors and Persons with Disabilities (SPD) Initiative has invested $1.5 million to improve physical access to care, provide health education, and conduct community outreach. This initiative has improved access to care for approximately 228,000 seniors and persons with disabilities by providing wheelchair-accessible scales and height adjustable exam tables to more than 60% of Los Angeles County’s community clinics. Over 2,000 seniors and persons with disabilities have participated in new health and wellness programs, and more than 1,000 Spanish-speaking individuals have received support and education from trained, culturally-sensitive community health workers, called Promotores.
L.A. Care’s SPD Initiative has also provided more than 1,000 primary care doctors’ offices with complimentary accessibility assessments. L.A. Care offers health care information in alternative formats such as audio CD/cassettes and provides free ASL and other language interpreters to members with disabilities. Finally, L.A. Care has provided training to L.A. Care’s staff, provider staff and community-based disability organizations on how to better care for persons with disabilities.