In the early years of a child’s life, when the brain is rapidly developing, developmental screenings are critical. They determine if a child is reaching important developmental milestones that help ensure health and success later in life. Unfortunately, too many children in California are not receiving recommended screenings. In July of 2021, L.A. Care Health Plan and First 5 LA announced a partnership that aimed to increase the number of developmental screenings in Los Angeles County through the Help Me Grow project.
This week, at the 2023 International Conference on Practice Facilitation in Oregon, L.A. Care’s Jennifer Aiello, a Practice Transformation Project Manager in the Quality Improvement department, will give an overview of the project. Aiello is one of the L.A. Care practice coaches working to educate and train staff in provider offices on the screenings. The coaches are also working to embed the screening scores in the practices’ electronic health records (EHR), so they can move away from paper screeners. The coaches help the offices develop new workflows to create stronger relationships between pediatric offices and the regional centers that provide services and support to families across the county.
There are also many educational components involved with this project to explain the importance of early childhood developmental screenings. Educational materials were developed and distributed to providers and members in quarterly newsletters. L.A. Care also contracted with a community-based organization to conduct childhood development classes at the L.A. Care-Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Centers across Los Angeles County.
To date, results have shown an increase in developmental screenings. The goal was to increase developmental screenings in pediatric offices by 15%, and screening data that was collected each month from the first cohort of practices show the project has surpassed the goal.
The partnership between First 5 LA and L.A. Care is a foundational step to building a connected and robust system of care across L.A. County to make sure every child receives support and resources to benefit their development and growth. The project is in alignment with L.A. Care’s commitment to advancing health equity, which means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.