Below is a look back at key moments in our history, along with awards and honors that recognize L.A. Care's unwavering commitment to our mission, vision, and values. We look forward to achieving even more for our communities as we elevate health care for all of Los Angeles County.
December 2010
L.A. Care's Board of Governors elects Dr. Walter Zelman, Chair of the Department of Health Science at California State University, Los Angeles, as Board Chair; Dr. Thomas Horowitz, osteopathic physician at Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Vincent Medical Center, as Vice Chair; Philip Browning, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, as Treasurer; and member advocate, Mario Ramos, as Secretary.
November 2010
The federal government approves the Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver for California, which brings the state $10 billion in federal Medicaid support over the next five years. The waiver allows California to enroll seniors and people with disabilities (SPDs) into Medi-Cal managed care. L.A. Care grants $572,000 to help continue interpretation services through the Video Medical Interpretation (VMI) system at four Los Angeles County hospitals. L.A. Care and L.A. County Department of Public Health partner to bring a free flu clinic to the Inglewood Family Resource Center. The state increases L.A. Care's Auto-Assignment Rate from 69% to 73% for 2011. The auto-assignment rate determines how Medi-Cal members who don't choose a health plan are distributed between L.A. Care and Health Net. As a part of L.A. Care's Giving Back Program, employees hold a second Casual Week Fundraiser to purchase educational toys and holiday gift bags for 400 preschool through 1st grade children attending Rosemont Early Education Center and Lake Street Primary School.
October 2010
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded L.A. Care an Accreditation status of "Excellent." L.A. Care's Accreditation status, the highest possible level, recognizes the high quality care received by L.A. Care's members.
September 2010
L.A. Care celebrates the grand opening of the Antelope Valley Community Clinic's Community Health and Wellness Center. In 2008, L.A. Care awarded $500,000 to help build the new nonprofit clinic in Lancaster. L.A. Care awards $210,000 in funding to support the South Bay Children's Health Center's dental program at its new dental clinic in Lawndale. Howard Kahn, as CEO of L.A. Care and member of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) Executive Committee, presents the "2010 Congressional Health Leader" award to Congressman Henry A. Waxman on behalf of the association in recognition of his leadership in expanding health coverage, strengthening public health programs, and preserving the role of safety net health plans. During FY 2010, L.A. Care's Pay-For-Performance Program awards more than $25 million in performance-based incentives to eligible members of its provider network of more than 15,000 physicians, hospitals, clinics, medical groups and plan partners, making L.A. Care a leader among Medi-Cal plans. L.A. Care's Community Health Investment Fund (CHIF) awards nearly $4.15 million to strengthen the safety net, improve community and public health and expand health insurance coverage during FY 2010. L.A. Care's Community Health Improvement Project (CHIP), a grassroots health education effort conducted by the Regional Community Advisory Committee members, successfully reached out to more than 37,000 Los Angeles community members during FY 2010, focusing on the importance of prenatal care, cancer screenings and well-child visits for adolescents.
August 2010
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) Rewards and Recognition Program awarded L.A. Care with the "2010 Community Partner Award." Along with DHS, the Office of Diversity & Cultural Competency, and the Diversity Operations Council/LEP Administrators recognized L.A. Care's ongoing support in helping build the DHS' Cultural and Linguistic (C/L) infrastructure to provide services to vulnerable populations in Los Angeles County.
August 2010
Dr. Elaine Batchlor, Chief Medical Officer at L.A. Care, is nominated to the board of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital. Through its Health Information Technology (HIT) Initiative, L.A. Care grants $529,000 to support five L.A. County community clinics' HIT projects. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' Office of Diversity & Cultural Competency awards L.A. Care with the "2010 Community Partner Award" for L.A. Care's ongoing support in helping build DHS' Cultural and Linguistic infrastructure.
July 2010
Mary Franz, former Chief Operating Officer at Connecture, joins L.A. Care as the new Executive Director of HITEC-LA. L.A. Care awards $153,000 to the Western Health Information Network (WHIN), formerly known as Long Beach Network for Health, to help connect a minimum of 10 L.A. County community clinics to an existing WHIN health information exchange (HIE) network. L.A. Care celebrates the 1st anniversary of its Inglewood Family Resource Center with an Island Style anniversary event, where Adai Lamar, KJLH radio host, participates as the hostess. The celebration includes free food, goody bags, raffles, health screenings, craft activities, and children's face painting.
June 2010
Due in part to L.A. Care's media outreach and grassroots efforts, the parents of over 15,000 Healthy Kids children ages 6 – 18 elect to keep their children in the health insurance program.
May 2010
The UCLA School of Public Health's Health Services Alumni Association (HSAA) honored Howard Kahn at its 2010 Leader of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow annual dinner. The award recognized Howard's commitment to working with diverse communities, his ability to bridge the public and private sections, and his leadership in overseeing the nation's largest publicly governed managed care organization.
May 2010
L.A. Care awards $795,000 to five community clinics as part of L.A. Care's Robert E. Tranquada, M.D., Safety Net Awards for infrastructure improvement projects. UCLA Health Services Alumni Association honors Howard Kahn as a "2010 Leader of Today" at its Leaders of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow annual dinner for Kahn's outstanding leadership in public health. L.A. Care saves the Healthy Kids program by awarding $9.01 million in funding to continue offering health coverage at low cost to existing members ages 6 – 18 enrolled in the program. Healthy Kids parents are urged to send back their response forms agreeing to pay an increased premium of $15 per child. The Healthy Kids 0-5 program remains intact thanks to continued funding from First 5 LA. L.A. Care enrolls more than 1,000 new members in L.A. Care's Medicare Advantage HMO SNP.
April 2010
L.A. Care receives $15.6 million in federal funding to establish a Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center called HITEC-LA. Read more
The program is intended to help doctors in L.A. County adopt and use Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in a meaningful way.
March 2010
L.A. Care awards $500,000 to Los Angeles County to jumpstart the planning process to help reopen the Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital. Altamed Health Services honors Howard Kahn with the "Visionary Award" at its 2010 Policy Forum and Odyssey Gala. The award recognized Kahn's dedication as a partner with AltaMed in providing quality health care to underserved communities throughout Greater Los Angeles. President Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act bill, the new health care reform law. L.A. Care begins preparing to serve newly qualifying Medicaid members and starts a planning process to participate in the national health insurance exchange in 2014.
February 2010
L.A. Care celebrates National Cancer Prevention Month with author and radio personality MOTHER LOVE in A Morning of "Me" Time at the Inglewood Family Resource Center.
January 2010
L.A. Care and L.A. County Department of Public Health join efforts to bring a free H1N1 vaccine clinic to the Lynwood Family Resource Center.
December 2009
L.A. Care's Auto-Assignment Rate increases from 58% to 69% for 2010. The auto-assignment rate determines how Medi-Cal members who don't choose a health plan are split between L.A. Care and Health Net. Instead of a holiday party, L.A. Care's employees adopt 9th Street Elementary School, located in downtown Los Angeles, and provide the entire student body of nearly 400 children backpacks filled with school supplies.
November 2009
L.A. Care launches thePULSE, a quarterly e-newsletter designed to give our providers timely updates on L.A. Care operations, such as new co-pay information, new claims codes, or incentive information. L.A. Care launches an e-consult pilot program to increase both collaboration between primary care physicians and specialists regarding a patient's care and the speed with which a patient's care is delivered. The Board of Governors re-elects its officers, Dr. Thomas Klitzner as Chair, Dr. Walter Zelman as Vice Chair, Mario Ramos as Treasurer and Supervisor Don Knabe as Secretary for the year 2010. L.A. Care celebrates the 2nd anniversary of its Lynwood Family Resource Center, which received more than 2,000 visits in October. L.A. Care enrolls more than 500 members in the newly re-named L.A. Care Health Plan Medicare Advantage HMO. L.A. Care reaches over 100,000 members in its four direct lines of business.
November 2009 – APHA's 137th Annual Meeting and Exposition
The American Public Health Association's (APHA) 137th Annual Meeting and Exposition accepted four of L.A. Care's innovative practices to be presented at their international convention. The innovative programs included those that provided access to quality health care for the health plan's members and support health care providers who serve these patients.
October 2009 – KHEIR Leadership Award
KHEIR Center honored L.A. Care with a "Leadership Award" for its contributions in the area of public health at the "Increasing Access to Health Care: Faces of Cancer" dinner.
October 2009
L.A. Care's Communications and Marketing department won 3 PRism Awards and 4 Awards of Excellence certificates from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Los Angeles Chapter. PRism Awards recognized L.A. Care's website, logo, and a media tour campaign. Awards of Excellence acknowledged L.A. Care's projects such as the multicultural communications program, the 10-year anniversary report, and the co-marketing creative materials.
October 2009
The Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities (LACCOD) awarded L.A. Care with an L.A. County Disability Access Award. The L.A.C.O.D. honored L.A. Care for its Seniors and People with Disabilities (SPD) Initiative, which invested $1.5 million to improve physical access to care, provide health education and conduct community outreach.
October 2009
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded L.A. Care the prestigious "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award." NCQA recognized L.A. Care's Health Disparities Improvement Project, intended to overcome cultural and language barriers for African-Americans and Latina women by providing access to health care services.
October 2009
L.A. Care celebrates Women's Health Month with A Morning of "Me" Time event held at the Lynwood Family Resource Center to raise awareness of the many health issues facing women and provide them with free health screenings and other free services. L.A. Care receives the prestigious National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Multicultural Health Care Award for its Health Disparities Improvement Project, which overcomes cultural and language barriers for African-American and Latina women by providing access to health care services that meet their unique needs. The Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities honors L.A. Care for investing $1.5 million through its Seniors and People with Disabilities (SPD) Initiative and for other SPD-related activities that improve access to care for seniors and people with disabilities in Los Angeles County.
September 2009
L.A. Care's Robert E. Tranquada Safety Net Awards grant more than $345,000 to seven community clinics throughout Los Angeles County to help them assess and plan projects that strengthen their long-term infrastructure. L.A. Care's Oral Health Initiative awards more than $679,000 to 10 community clinics and health care organizations to provide dental services for adults, including people with disabilities, who lost their dental benefits due to the State of California cutbacks.
August 2009
L.A. Care volunteers, and is a major sponsor of the Remote Area Medical (RAM) health expedition, which provided 14,561 free patient services to over 6,000 men, women and children in need, for a total value of care exceeding $2.8 million.
July 2009
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Foundation awarded L.A. Care the 2009 Community Leadership Award. This prestigious award recognized L.A. Care's Seniors and People with Disabilities (SPD) Initiative for investing $1.5 million to improve physical access to care, provide health education, and conduct community outreach.
June 2009
As part of a $567,050 grant made to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, L.A. Care participates in the largest in-person giveaway of nicotine patches and gum ever in California available at participating Ralphs grocery stores. Howard Kahn testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce's Subcommittee on Health on the public plan option for health care reform. The Regional Community Advisory Committees (RCACs) enrolls more than 300 members.
May 2009
L.A. Care, along with the State of California, the Medi-Cal Managed Care Division and 22 other contracted health plans, launch a Health Education Campaign to reduce the number of Medi-Cal Managed Care members who use the Emergency Room (ER) for avoidable visits.
April 2009
L.A. Care holds a mini Walk-A-Thon at the Family Resource Center in Lynwood to fight childhood obesity and encourage physical activity among 4th and 5th grade students, teachers and parents from the Compton Unified School District. Partners include the Network for a Healthy California, the Children's Power Play! Campaign, the KID HEALTHY—Steps for a Healthy Living Campaign, the YMCA of Orange County and ABC 7.
January 2009
L.A. Care becomes the content source of a weekly health segment on Telemundo Channel 52's midday newscast. Over the next ten months, L.A. Care addresses 26 community-wide health issues, features 20 Spanish-speaking network providers and partners and increases visibility of L.A. Care.
December 2008
Jim Mangia, President and CEO of St. John's Well Child and Family Center, joins L.A. Care's Board of Governors.
November 2008
Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC) held its 35th Anniversary "Let the Sun Shine In" Gala and Silent Auction where they honored L.A. Care with their 2008 "Health Partner" Award for the health plan's continued support and contributions.
November 2008
L.A. Care's Board of Governors appoints Thomas S. Klitzner, M.D., PhD., a pediatric cardiologist at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, as Chair, and re-elects Walter Zelman as Vice Chair, Mario Ramos as Treasurer, and Supervisor Don Knabe as Secretary.
September 2008
John F. Schunhoff, Ph.D., Director of Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, joins L.A. Care's Board of Governors.
August 2008
Through its Health Information Technology Initiative, L.A. Care awards more than $1 million to a combination of nine community clinics to implement disease registries and electronic health records.
April 2008
Philip Browning, Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, joins L.A. Care's Board of Governors.
February 2008
L.A. Care, in partnership with Children's Dental Health Clinic, COACH for Kids, and Pacific Smiles, raises awareness of the importance of oral health by hosting a Dental Health Day at its Family Resource Center in Lynwood. To encourage healthy dental habits, the event provides child attendees with free fluoride varnishes, dental screenings and oral health education.
January 2008
Begins enrolling senior and people with disabilities in Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan, which combines Medi-Cal and Medicare benefits for those members who are dually-eligible. This program sunset in 2014 to make way for L.A. Care's Cal MediConnect Plan.
December 2007
L.A. Care's Board of Governors re-appoints Jim Lott as Chair, and elects Walter Zelman, PhD., Director of Health Sciences at Cal State L.A. as Vice-Chair, Mario Ramos, consumer member, as Treasurer and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe as Secretary.
November 2007
L.A. Care opens its first Family Resource Center (FRC) at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood. Read more
To date, L.A. Care also has FRCs located in Inglewood, Pacoima and Boyle Heights, with as many as three more in 2017.
October 2007
L.A. Care's Board of Governors announces the first round of Tranquada Safety Net Awards to 11 community clinics in Los Angeles County, totaling $4.1 million.
July 2007
L.A. Care announces grants totaling $6 million to Los Angeles County for health care safety net support. $3 million is dedicated to establish a new nursing school at Olive View Medical Center. The additional grants, funded by L.A. Care's CHIF, support the redesign of the Harbor UCLA Ambulatory Clinic, two new ambulatory optometry suites within the LAC + USC Health Network, new endoscopy suites at the Hudson Comprehensive Health Center, and video interpreter call center program at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.
April 2007
Dr. Robert Tranquada, L.A. Care's longest serving board member, retires from the Board of Governors.
January 2007
L.A. Care launches the Health Promoters program. Read more
The program sends trained members into the community to disseminate health education and resource information.
November 2006
L.A. Care announces the $1.25 million Enhanced Access Initiative, which will fund equipment purchases, programs, and outreach efforts to improve health care access for people with disabilities in Los Angeles County.
October 2006
Governor Schwarzenegger signs AB 225, a bill sponsored by L.A. Care which promotes electronic prescribing by providers in order to reduce the number of medical errors stemming from illegible handwritten prescriptions.
September 2006
Launches direct Medi-Cal line of business with an emphasis on seniors and people with disabilities.
April 2006
L.A. Care's Adolescent Health Conference focuses on educating providers on how to create a comfortable medical environment where adolescents can communicate with their providers. The Conference includes a Q&A with a teen panel, and over 300 health care professionals attend. Gloria Rodriguez, CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), is appointed to L.A. Care's Board of Governors.
February 2006
L.A. Care helps re-open the Norwalk Regional Health Center, a community clinic that closed due to County budget cuts. L.A. Care's Board of Governors approves a $300,000 grant to fund health care services for the first year of operation at the Sun Valley Health Center, slated to open as early as 2007.
January 2006
To help community clinics understand and take advantage of available e-health technology, L.A. Care co-sponsors the eClinic Conference with Kaiser and Unihealth Foundation. A $1 million technical assistance grant for e-health was announced at the conference.
December 2005
L.A. Care's Board of Governors elects Jim Lott, Executive Vice President of the Hospital Association of Southern California as Chair, Bryce Yokomizu, Director of Los Angeles County's Department of Public Social Services as Vice-Chair, Dr. Peter Rivera as Secretary, and Kim Wyard, CEO of Northeast Valley Health Corporation as Treasurer.
November 2005
L.A. Care participates in a media briefing on a national physician pay-for-performance study at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. L.A. Care is one of six California health plans to participate in the largest pay-for-performance collaborative conducted by Medicaid.
September 2005
L.A. Care is distinguished by Governor Schwarzenegger as the only public health plan on the Governor's Honor Roll on Health, Nutrition, and Obesity.
April 2005
L.A. Care is honored by Rancho Los Amigos Foundation with the Amistad Award for Community Service.
March 2005
L.A. Care's grant of $100,000 helps re-open Bell Gardens Health Center, which closed due to County budget cuts in 2002. The clinic closure left thousands of Bell Gardens residents without access to free and low-cost health care.