ALTAMED

AltaMed was originally established as a free clinic in East Los Angeles in 1969 and now is a leading healthcare system that provides care to more than 300,000 Southern California residents. It consists of 35 accredited sites that offer various services to patients such as, medical, dental, senior care, urgent care, pharmacy, and HIV services.

Ultimately, their mission is to eliminate inequity in healthcare access and outcomes by providing health and human services through an integrated world class system for Latino, multi-ethnic and underserved persons in Southern California.

GREATER LOS ANGELES VETERANS AFFAIRS

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System is the largest healthcare facility in the VA. The Healthcare System operates 1,056 beds with over a $390 million dollar budget. Services include comprehensive medical, surgical, psychiatric, diagnostic and treatment services. In addition, the Healthcare System operates a 321 bed Domiciliary to prepare veterans for re-entry into a community setting, preventing homelessness for approximately 95% of the residents. Geriatric services are offered as well, including nursing home care units and an active community nursing home program. Soon to begin operation is a Community-based Outpatient Clinic, which will provide primary care to patients in the south Los Angeles communities.

VA-based scholars and faculty have conducted extensive consumer-oriented and community-based research projects and have examined the dissemination of these programs across VA populations and systems. Some of which include innovative information technology interventions, improvement of chronic disease management, evaluations of quality improvement programs. The VA offers scholars an opportunity to develop and evaluate programs within the context of a comprehensive health program for a defined population.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, INC.

Behavioral Health Services (BHS) is a community-based organization that provides Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services to Los Angeles County. BHS primarily serves those who do not have access to services elsewhere, most often minority, working poor, indigent and/or uninsured. The agency offers a continuum of services ranging from medical detoxification, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment and sober living with the goal for each individual being recovery and abstinence. Treatment strategies are based on a combination of behavioral, cognitive and educational models that focus on recovery, community support (12 steps), relapse prevention and family participation. Goals include reduction of substance abuse/dependency, stabilization of mental and physical health conditions, reducing the complications of dysfunctional family life, dealing with conditions associated with aging and regaining control of one’s own life.

The organization’s current development includes two federally funded projects designed to improve coordination and provision of mental health services within substance abuse facilities, one for residential and one for outpatient. BHS is interested in projects that will improve retention and efficacy for the individuals such as reduction of tobacco use for clients in substance abuse treatment (especially pregnant women).

CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER

Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S. with 886 licensed beds, 2,100 physicians, 2,800 nurses and thousands of other healthcare professionals and staff. Clinical programs range from primary care for preventing, diagnosing and treating common conditions to specialized treatments for rare, complex and advanced illnesses. In addition, Cedars-Sinai serves the community through its Medical Network, which includes the highly rated Cedars-Sinai Medical Group and Cedars-Sinai Health Associates.

Cedars-Sinai is consistently named one of America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and received the National Research Corporation’s Consumer Choice Award 18 years in a row for providing the highest quality medical care in Los Angeles, including the longest running Magnet designation for nursing excellence in California.

Cedars-Sinai is a leader in the clinical care and research of heart disease, cancer and brain disorders, among other areas. Pioneering research achievements include using cardiac stem cells to repair damaged hearts, developing minimally invasive surgical techniques and discovering new types of drugs to target cancer more precisely.

Cedars-Sinai seeks impact on the future of healthcare through education programs that encompass everything from highly competitive medical residency and fellowship programs to a biomedical science and translational medicine PhD program, advanced training for nurses and educational opportunities for allied health professionals. Most notably, Cedars-Sinai demonstrates a longstanding commitment to strengthening the Los Angeles community through wide-ranging programs that improve the health of its most vulnerable residents.

CHARLES R. DREW UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND SCIENCE

Through innovative basic science, clinical and translational research, Charles R. Drew University conducts education, patient care and research programs, training physicians and allied health professionals to provide care to underserved populations. Based on south Los Angeles, CDU strives to improve the health status of underserved communities through innovative biomedical research, and progressive health policies. By maintaining and expanding relationships with local medical schools, research institutions and community-based organizations, the university is focused on eliminating health disparities by providing access to and delivery of healthcare services to underserved populations.

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LACDHS) serves as the major provider of healthcare for the nearly two million county residents without health insurance and provides the majority of all uncompensated medical care in the county. LACDHS runs four hospitals: LAC+USC Medical Center, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, Olive View/UCLA Medical Center, and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. The department also runs a multi-disciplinary ambulatory care center – High Desert Health System in the Antelope Valley, six comprehensive health centers, and numerous smaller health centers.

HEALTHY AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES II

Healthy African American Families II (HAAF) is a non-profit, community-serving agency whose mission is to improve the health outcomes of the African American and Latino communities in Los Angeles County by enhancing the quality of care and advancing social progress through education, training and collaborative partnerships with community stakeholders, academia, researchers, and government. HAAF services all of South Los Angeles and Service Planning Area 6 in particular.

A longstanding community partner for the UCLA NCSP, HAAF is widely regarded in the community as an advocate, voice, and source of education and training centered on disparities and research for the local community. HAAF regularly disseminates research to community in its major yearly events. HAAF’s partners include Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, UCLA, RAND, and over 150 community based organizations. Current and past HAAF projects include: the Pre-term Delivery Project, Building Bridges to Optimum Health (Diabetes), Witness4Wellness Depression Project, the Male Involvement Project, “100 Acts of Kindness to a Pregnant Woman,” “100 Acts of Kindness to a New Mother,” and “100 Acts of Kindness to Oneself.”

KAISER PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Kaiser Permanente, in addition to extensive clinical and hospital centers, operates eight research centers across the country partnering on epidemiological studies and health services research with more than 40 prominent US academic research institutions. Put together, Kaiser Permanente’s research centers and scientists comprise one of the largest nonacademic research programs in the United States focused on subjects, including depression, disease management, gerontology, and specialty care (cardiac rehabilitation, clinical trials for HIV and hypertension). Clinically, Kaiser is interested in health delivery, cost effectiveness, and innovation.

Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, CA was established in 1978 and is involved in research areas such as cancer clinical trials, birth defects prevention, cognitive impairment/aging, cancer screening, diabetes management programs, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, vaccine safety, and obesity prevention

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH

The mission of California’s mental health system is to enable persons, experiencing severe and disabling mental illnesses and children, with serious emotional disturbances, to access treatment and support services. LADMH has extensive computerized datasets and collaborates with the UCLA/RAND NIMH Health Services Research Center. LADMH is currently developing an Evidence-Based Practice Center. Recent examples of Scholar research include, improving mental health services delivery to adolescents and children in the criminal justice system and evaluating needs for improving mental health services for children in foster care. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LADMH) offers an extensive network of mental health hospitals, facilities, programs and interventions across the county, for adults and children with severe and disabling mental illness.

Specific recent examples of Scholar research include improving mental health services delivery to adolescents and children in the criminal justice system, and evaluating needs for improving mental health services for children in foster care. LAC-DMH is developing an Evidence-Based Practice Center. LAC-DMH has extensive computerized datasets and collaborates with the UCLA/RAND NIMH Health Services Research Center.

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health works with the UCLA School of Public Health and the School of Medicine. They have worked together to establish a comprehensive and integrated relationship for technical assistance, training, and other services. The CSP faculty collaborates with LADPH to conduct an annual health survey of the underserved and is actively involved in developing programs and research, such as prevention of HIV infection and TB.

Scholars may analyze existing databases, collaborate on ongoing projects and surveys, and conduct projects on bio-terrorism, disease surveillance, population health assessment, or assist with quality improvement programs for chronic disease or health promotion programs in various clinics and hospitals.

THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is the second largest school district in the US and is comprised of 722,000 students from diverse backgrounds and unique and complex community needs, with many facing exposure to poverty and community violence. It is one of only two school districts in the country that has supported a child mental health service unit (since 1933) and district crisis intervention services for traumatized children (since 1984). A staff of 160 psychiatric clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists, and community workers; 250 District crisis team members; and Early Behavior Intervention Counselors at 175 elementary and middle schools provide a range of professional mental health services for students who evidence social, emotional, behavioral and trauma related problems, which often inhibits their ability to learn. The mental health staff itself is culturally diverse with 45% of the clinicians having bilingual capabilities in Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Armenian, Russian, and American Sign Language.

The LAUSD Division of Student Health and Human Services provides direct medical, mental health and counseling services to the district’s 700,000-plus students. The division includes a workforce of several thousand school health and human service professionals, from nurses and doctors, to social workers and counselors. Besides the provision of direct achievement through health and mental health interventions, including reducing school drop-out. Besides the direct service provision to students and families, the district is in a unique position to develop, assess and analyze national, state and local health policies.

UCLA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

For more than 60 years, the UCLA Health System has provided the best in health care and the latest in medical technology to the people of Los Angeles and throughout the world.

With two hospitals (Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, which include the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA), the UCLA Faculty Group, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and over 180 medical practices throughout Southern California, which makes UCLA Health one of the most comprehensive and advanced health care systems in the world.

Together, UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA strive every day to be a model that redefines the standard of excellence in health care. With an integrated mission to provide state-of-the-art patient care, train top medical professionals and to support pioneering research and discovery.

UCLA Health has consistently ranked #1 in California and top 10 nationally by US World News & Report and aims to provide the best health care, using the latest medical technology. For 30 consecutive years, UCLA has earned a spot on the national honor roll, which names the 20 hospitals that provide the highest quality care across a range of specialties, procedures and conditions. In addition, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has again attained Magnet® recognition as part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. This voluntary credentialing program for hospitals recognizes excellence in nursing. The credential is the highest honor an organization can receive for professional nursing practice.