In recent years, the health care industry has recognized that improving health outcomes requires a broad approach that addresses social, economic and environmental factors that have an impact on health — often called social determinants of health (SDOH). Today, the Local Health Plans of California (LHPC) is holding a seminar titled Addressing SDOH: Local Health Plan Strategies, Experiences & Insights. Health care and community leaders are gathering at The California Endowment in Sacramento to discuss innovative approaches to delivering care beyond the clinical health care system.
Among the speakers is Francisco Oaxaca, L.A. Care's Senior Director of Communications and Community Relations. His presentation describes how L.A. Care is leveraging its six Family Resource Centers (FRC) to help address SDOH. Oaxaca explains that the FRCs are an ideal vehicle for deploying resources to address the five SDOH priority areas L.A. Care identified as key to ensuring the best health outcomes for members. They are housing, food security, income security, transportation and early childhood education.
Using the FRCs as a base, L.A. Care will be deploying field-based care management, social services and community health worker teams to meet face-to-face with members. These teams will work to connect members to vital community resources.
Oaxaca is also outlining L.A. Care's plan to open seven more FRCs, and to move some of the smaller existing FRCs into larger facilities. Each center will focus on the specific social needs of each local community, with resources on site to address those needs. He also details how the L.A. Care Family Resource Center model can be replicated by other health plans and scaled to meet unique community needs. The centers can share space with appropriate partners in the effort to address social determinants.
Having a presence in the community, where in-person connections can be made, allows L.A. Care to more effectively address social determinants of health.