L.A. Care Health Plan has been recognized locally and nationally for its community partnerships, access to care for at risk populations and commitment to preventive health services. A growing list of awards and honors represents the organization's unwavering commitment to its Mission, Vision and Values, and eagerness to provide quality health care for residents of Los Angeles County.
September 2023 - L.A. Care Wins WebAwards 2023 Health Care Standard of Excellence for Community Resource Center Website
L.A. Care won the WebAwards 2023 Health Care Standard of Excellence for its Community Resource Centers website. The website provides valuable information about the twelve Community Resource Centers, which are jointly operated by L.A. Care and its plan partner Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan.
Website Credits:
- UX Designer & Project Manager: Sharon Paras
- Digital Designer: Criss Magana
- Digital Developer: James Hovell
- Digital Writer: Afton Kobayashi
- Digital Specialist: Jeffrey Ramos
- Digital Specialist: Wade Butcher
- Community Resource Center Integrated Engagement Strategies Specialist: Carol Nguyen
- External Relations Manager: Hector Andrade
- Supervisor, Digital Communications: Hannibal Tabu
- Supervisor, Digital Communications: Simon Bliss
- Director, Communications: Misty de Lamare
- Executive Sponsor: Francisco Oaxaca
September 2022 - St. John’s Community Health Honors L.A. Care CEO With Champion Award
St. John’s Community Health bestowed its Champion Award upon John Baackes at the 2022 Moveable Feast celebration. St. John’s honored Baackes for his leadership of the plan that allows millions of Los Angeles County residents to receive access to quality and affordable health care.
August 2022 - L.A. Care Honored at National Health Center Week Celebration
L.A. Care Health Plan was proud to receive the Stakeholders Appreciation Award at the Multicultural Health Fair and Children’s Appreciation Day, which was hosted by the Comprehensive Community Health Centers (CCHC). The event capped off National Health Center Week, an annual celebration with a goal of raising awareness about America’s health centers.
July 2022 - Palmdale Community Resource Center Manager Named Female Leader of the Year
The nonprofit SALVA in Palmdale hosted its 6th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which included an awards ceremony honoring community leaders in the Antelope Valley. Among the honorees was Rocio Castellanos, the Manager of the L.A. Care/Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center in Palmdale. Castellanos was named the Mujer Lider del Año or Woman Leader of the Year.
March 2022 - Innovator Awards Program: L.A. Care as a Semifinalist
The Healthcare Innovation team selected L.A. Care as a semifinalist for the 2022 Innovator Awards Program for supporting those who are family caregivers for dual-eligible plan members. L.A. Care's CEO John Baackes has been leading an initiative that is part of a large cluster of initiatives designed to improve the health status of L.A. Care's members. In that regard, nearly four years ago, the L.A. Care leaders established a ten-week training program, with 30-50 students in each cohort, and with classes given in English Spanish, various Chinese dialects, and Russian, to teach basic observation skills, as well as caregiver burnout skills. Over 4,200 have been trained, and have contributed to the improved health status of their loved ones. What's more, Baackes explains, "We're now monitoring the utilization of the healthcare services by the clients, and we're beginning to get a body of data that shows that the utilization prior to the training goes down after the In-Home Support Service Worker goes through the training."
October 2021 - L.A. Care Wins Golden Eagle Award from Los Angeles County
L.A. Care was given the prestigious Golden Eagle Award at the 34th Annual Productivity and Quality Awards, which honors the very best in social service delivery to the County's 10 million residents. The collaboration of Health Services (HSA and Emergency Medical Services Agency), L.A. Care's Dr. Alex Li and Brandon Shelton, Berry Consultants, Chief Executive Office, Public Health, and UCLA Departments of Biostatistics, Mathematics, and Statistics provided data and support in developing the County's models for forecasting resources against demand, such as hospital beds and ventilator capacity.
September 2021 - L.A. Care Awarded Best Intranet Website by the Web Marketing Association
L.A. Care won Best Intranet Website from the Web Marketing Association's 2021 WebAwards. The L.A. Care Intranet, recently underwent a strategic redesign where employee stories and ideas are at the forefront, creating a deeper sense of pride in the health plan and in one another.
June 2021 - L.A. Care Earns National Multicultural Health Care Distinction for a Fifth Time
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded L.A. Care a Distinction in Multicultural Health Care. The award is given out every two years, and this is the fifth time L.A. Care, the largest publicly operated plan in the country, has received the honor for its Medi-Cal, Cal MediConnect and L.A. Care Covered product lines.
June 2021 - John Baackes Named a 2021 Heart of LA Honoree
The American Heart Association Los Angeles (AHA Los Angeles) recognized L.A. Care CEO John Baackes for our commitment to health equity at the Heart of Los Angeles 2021 Heart & Stroke Ball. The annual event raises critical funding to support awareness efforts and cutting-edge research related to cardiovascular health and stroke.
April 2021 - The L.A. Care/Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center Newsletter Named Best Health Care Online Newsletter Campaign
The L.A. Care Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center monthly newsletters are used to share important information with key community partners that work with the resource centers to serve our mutual clients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the newsletters have been instrumental in informing partners about virtual programming and important community events such as free drive-thru food pantries and COVID-19 vaccine clinics. The Community Resource Center newsletters have proven so valuable to community partners over the past year that the project has been named the 2021 Best Health Care Online Newsletter Campaign by the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC).
October 2020 - L.A. Care's Dr. Michael Brodsky Receives Community Contribution Award
Aunt Bertha, the company that operates a search tool to help connect people to much-needed social services, honored Michael Brodsky, MD, the Medical Director for Behavioral Health and Social Services at L.A. Care, with its Community Contribution Award. The award goes to individuals who go above and beyond to improve access to social care resources in their communities.
August 2020 - L.A. Care CEO John Baackes Named Insurance Executive of the Year
John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care, was named Insurance Executive of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ). The LABJ announced the award at the publication's Health Care Panel and Awards, a virtual event that brought together industry leaders for a panel discussion on a variety of health-related topics.
June 2020 - L.A. Care Receives PRSA Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation
L.A. Care's Online Newsroom received a 2020 Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation. For more than 45 years, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Bronze Anvil Awards have recognized the best of the best in public relations. Our redesigned newsroom saw a more than 1450% increase in page views, and visitor spent 139% more time reading news items.
June 2020 - L.A. Care Named Outstanding Website in Health Care & Nonprofit Categories
The Web Marketing Association honored the L.A. Care team with 2020 WebAwards in two categories – health care and nonprofit. The website received its highest marks in content, and the team credits exhaustive efforts to understand the taxonomy structure of legacy content on the site and optimize, when possible, for a stronger contextual search. The L.A. Care website also received high marks in design and interactivity. On interactivity, the team evolved toward approaching web design and development with a "mobile first" mentality. Each page experience is calibrated to automatically display seamlessly across every device and platform.
November 2018 – L.A. Care Receives Innovation Award from LACMA
The Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA) honored L.A. Care with the Innovation Award for Community Service at its annual Los Angeles Healthcare Awards event. L.A. Care was recognized for its physician shortage initiative, Elevating the Safety Net, which focuses on enabling more providers to work in clinics that serve Medi-Cal patients and the uninsured.
October 2018 – L.A. Care Wins Best Multicultural Campaign Award
MM&M, previously known as Medical Marketing & Media, named L.A. Care's Elevating Healthcare ads as the Best Multicultural Campaign for 2018. L.A. Care's campaign was deemed "uplifting" and was recognized for going beyond language translation with imagery that captured the diverse cultures of Los Angeles County.
September 2018 – LACMA Honors L.A. Care's General Counsel
Augustavia Haydel, L.A. Care's General Counsel, received the Extraordinary and Inspirational Achievement Award from the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA). As part of its 2018 Celebration of Women in Medicine event, LACMA recognized Ms. Haydel for her dedication to diversity and inclusion in health care.
May 2018 – L.A. Care Named Largest Health Insurer in Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles Business Journal 2018 Book of Lists ranked L.A. Care as the largest health plan in Los Angeles County for the third year in a row. We're proud to have more members in L.A. County than any other health plan, and remain dedicated to providing them with high quality health care and critically-needed community resources.
September 2017 – L.A. Care Honored by the Achievable Foundation
The Achievable Foundation recognized L.A. Care's leadership in health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the Achievers Award. L.A. Care was honored for its partnership in expanding medical services to patients with developmental disabilities.
July 2017 – L.A. Care Receives NMF Leadership in Healthcare Award
National Medical Fellowships (NMF) honored L.A. Care for excellence in health care leadership as part of its Champion of Health Awards.
September 2016 – L.A. Care Chief Human Resources Officer, Executive of the Year
The National Human Resources Executive Association named L.A. Care Chief Human Resources Officer, Robert Turner PhD, "The Executive of the Year.
May 2016 – Los Angeles Business Journal CEO of the Year
The Los Angeles Business Journal annual Healthcare Leadership Forum & Awards honors individuals and organizations helping to make strides to deliver better healthcare for Los Angeles County residents. Among the honorees was L.A. Care Health Plan CEO John Baackes, who was named Insurance CEO of the Year.
May 2016 – L.A. Care Ranked Top Health Insurer in L.A. County
L.A. Care Health Plan is the top ranked health insurer with more than 2 million members, which represents a 16% increase in members over a year ago. Based on current membership figures, this makes L.A. Care not only the nation's largest publicly operated health plan, but also L.A. County's largest health insurer.
February 2016
L.A. Care extends outreach program in the San Gabriel Valley through the Chinese Lunar New Year Festival in Monterey Park.
May 2015 – L.A. Care Earns NCQA Distinction in Multicultural Health Care
L.A. Care Health Plan announced it was recently awarded the Multicultural Health Care Distinction from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Medi-Cal and L.A. Care Covered product lines.
May 2013 – L.A. Care Selected For Participation In State's Health Benefit Exchange
L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated health plan in the country, is pleased to announce its selection as a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) by Covered California, the state's health benefit exchange. Established by the passage of federal health care reform, Covered California is creating a new insurance marketplace that will provide individuals and small business throughout the state with greater access, to and choices, in health coverage.
May 2013 – L.A. Care Health Plan Achieves Multicultural Health Care Distinction
Recognized by NCQA for Exemplary care for Diverse and Minority Populations, L.A. Care achieves the Multicultural Health Care Distinction (MHC) from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The achievement validates that L.A. Care is one of two Medicaid health plans in Los Angeles to earn the distinction, and one of only 11 plans in the country. It was evaluated on how well the organization complied with standards.
June 2012 – L.A. Care Receives Prestigious "Health Care Innovation Award"
In partnership with the California Long-Term Care Education Center, L.A. Care Health Plan, SEIU United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW), Shirley Ware Education Center (SEIU-UHW), Health Plan of San Mateo, Contra Costa County Department of Aging and Health Services, and the UCSF Center for Health Professions, have been selected by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to receive a Health Care Innovation Award. The award, given to innovative projects across the country that test creative ways to deliver high-quality health care services and lower costs, will support the partnership's efforts to better integrate California home-based care providers into the health care system. The award amount is $11,831,445 and is expected to generate a three-year savings of $24,957,836.
May 2012 – L.A. Care Receives National Award for High-Quality Asthma Care
L.A. Care Health Plan has been selected to receive the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2012 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management for its exemplary efforts to deliver high-quality asthma care that includes environmental controls.
May 2011 – Partners in Care "Mathies" Award
The Partners in Care Foundation awarded L.A. Care CEO its Mathies award for his significant contributions to providing quality access to health care for low-income families and helping transform the health care system in Los Angeles County.
September 2010 – NCQA "Excellent" Accreditation
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.
August 2010 – LACDHS 2010 Community Partner Award
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.
May 2010 – HSAA Leader of Today, Leader of Tomorrow Recognition
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.
April 2010 – DHS $15.6 Million Award
The U.S. Department of Health Services (DHS) awarded L.A. Care with a $15.6 million grant to establish a Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC), called HITEC-LA. HITEC-LA is charged with helping doctors and primary care providers, purchase, implement and use electronic health records in a meaningful way.
March 2010 – AltaMed Visionary Award
AltaMed honored Howard Kahn, CEO of L.A. Care, with the "Visionary Award" at its 2010 Policy Forum and Odyssey Gala. The award recognized Howard's dedication as a partner with AltaMed in providing quality healthcare to underserved communities in Los Angeles.
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 – PRSA PRism Awards and Award of Excellence
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 – LACCOD L.A. County Disability Access Award
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 – NCQA Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award
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.
July 2009 – AHIP 2009 Community Leadership Award
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.
November 2008 – NEVHC 2008 "Health Partner" Award
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.