Innovative Care Coordination Model Launched for Over 85,000 Unhoused Members
LACMA member group L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net have announced a $90 million investment over the next five years aimed at providing comprehensive, preventive, and coordinated care for individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. This initiative includes the launch of two innovative programs—the L.A. County Field Medicine Program and the Skid Row Care Collaborative—designed to improve access to essential health services for approximately 85,000 unhoused members.
L.A. County Field Medicine Program
The Field Medicine Program, backed by a $60 million commitment, delivers preventive, urgent, and chronic care directly to individuals in their living environments—whether on the streets, in encampments, shelters, or interim housing. The program involves 19 providers, creating a consistent and coordinated care system that surpasses the traditionally episodic and urgent-focused street medicine model.
"The Field Medicine Program is grounded in the philosophy that every Medi-Cal beneficiary, regardless of housing status, is entitled to the same level of service and a true medical home," said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. "The program is designed to develop a countywide network of primary care providers who can provide that medical home and all the services associated with high-quality primary care in a way that will be easier for individuals experiencing homelessness to access."
The Field Medicine Program employs a population-based care coordination approach, segmenting the county into 15 regions, each managed by a “regional anchor” provider. These providers will ensure that care is accessible across the county and facilitate coordination with other health services.
"To address homelessness, support must extend beyond physical housing. It requires whole-person care for these vulnerable individuals," said Martha Santana-Chin, Plan Chief Product President at Health Net. "This investment continues to underscore our belief that every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income or current state of health. We are excited to partner with L.A. Care Health Plan on another incredible initiative that will serve Angelenos."
Skid Row Care Collaborative
The second program, the Skid Row Care Collaborative, is a core component of the Field Medicine Program. It is designed to accommodate the unique needs of Skid Row as a neighborhood with a high density of both people experiencing homelessness, as well as support for the established providers to care for them. The Skid Row Care Collaborative includes $30 million of funding for enhanced services and additional facilities on Skid Row, including $10 million in funding to launch the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Crocker Street Campus. The Skid Row Care Collaborative will include walk-in, harm reduction services, observation beds, extended hours for urgent care and pharmacy, community ambassadors, and onsite specialty medical services.
It will also include a free shuttle to connect members to these services within the neighborhood. To receive this funding, providers serving Skid Row will collaborate to ensure a "no wrong door" approach to coordinated access to care for Skid Row residents.
The funding for this investment is the result of California's Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP), which the state launched with the help of matching funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. HHIP rewards Medi-Cal managed care plans for making progress in addressing homelessness and housing insecurity as social drivers of health. L.A. Care will commit 70 percent of the total funding for these programs, with Health Net committing 30 percent.
L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation's largest publicly operated health plan, and Health Net, one of California's most experienced Medi-Cal managed care health plans and company of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), have collaborated on a separate HHIP program, which committed $114 million to secure as many as 1,900 rental units and to offer the unhoused assistance with Activities of Daily Living.
The two new programs align with the health plans' shared commitment to advancing health equity, which means ensuring that everyone, regardless of housing status or social barriers, has a fair and equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
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