L.A. Care Health Plan is proud to announce that is has been named one of eight finalists for an Advisory Board 2021 Innovation Award in recognition of Elevating the Safety Net, the health plan’s five year, $155 million initiative to recruit physicians into the Los Angeles County safety net. The initiative was launched in 2018 after a UC San Francisco study found that California faced a shortage of 8,800 primary care physicians by 2030, with low-income communities served by safety net clinics and practices especially vulnerable. The winner will be announced shortly after the 2021 Innovation Awards Showcase on November 18.
Elevating the Safety Net responded to concerns from safety net providers who were unable to offer competitive salaries to highly qualified physicians who were often struggling to repay medical school loans. The initiative started with three core programs to address these concerns. The first offers safety net providers grants to help recruit new physicians into the Los Angeles County safety net, and since launching, more than 130 new physicians have been recruited into L.A. County, where they are serving L.A. Care members and other low-income individuals.
The second program offers medical school loan repayment grants to physicians who are newly recruited into the safety net. These grants have helped 110 physicians continue working with the Medi-Cal population in L.A. County, many of them speaking the same language as the people they serve.
The third program in the initiative is a medical school scholarship program. Eight medical school scholarships have been given out each year since the launch, with four students attending the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and four attending the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. All students have financial need and have expressed a desire to work in underserved communities. Most are also people of color. Research has shown that diversity among health care professionals will lead to better health outcomes within minority communities.
The initiative has grown to include a grant program for new medical residency positions in L.A. County, training for in-home caregivers and community health workers, and health care internships. The ultimate goal of Elevating the Safety Net programs is to bring more health care professionals at every level into the Los Angeles County safety net – professionals committed to serving the same low-income communities that L.A. Care serves.
The virtual Advisory Board 2021 Innovation Award Showcase on November 18 will be from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Each finalist will give a short presentation on the innovation solutions aimed at improving representation of historically marginalized and underrepresented staff in clinical and leadership roles. William Alamo, L.A. Care Safety Net Initiatives Program Manager, will give a presentation on the impact, creativity, design and sustainability of Elevating the Safety Net. The winner of the showcase will receive $10,000 to invest in continued work to advance diversity in health care jobs.
Anyone can watch the presentation and vote on the winner. You can register for the event here.
Update November 19, 2021
L.A. Care received a third place award at the Showcase. Read more here.