During a weekend celebration of the 25th anniversary of its first free clinic staffed by volunteers, the UMMA Community Clinic presented L.A. Care Health Plan with its Health Excellence Award. UMMA, which was established by students at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, now has a staff of more than 100 working in three clinics, with plans for another three clinical sites in South L.A. next year. Its mission is to promote the well-bring of the underserved by providing access to high-quality health care for all, regardless of the individual’s ability to pay. Over the years, L.A. Care has offered critical support to help UMMA achieve that mission.
L.A. Care CEO John Baackes was on hand to receive the award Saturday night, and he acknowledged UMMA for serving L.A. Care members since its inception. He also detailed L.A. Care’s support for the Federal Qualified Health Center. L.A. Care has awarded UMMA more than $1.1 million in grants through its Community Health Investment Fund, which supports community, public health and L.A. County safety net organizations, and its Elevating the Safety Net initiative, which was launched in 2018 to address a looming physician shortage in Los Angeles County.
L.A. Care is committed to advancing health equity, which means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Working with organizations like UMMA helps ensure the health plan can achieve that goal.