Neighborhood Health Clinics Plan Announced

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            CONTACT:    Angie Castro, (213) 974-4111 / (213) 703-2823

 

 

MOLINA INITIATES “NEIGHBORHOOD CLINICS” PLAN

 

CREATES NEW HEALTH CARE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR
UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES

 

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY (May 11, 2009) – Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina today announced $44.8 million for her “Neighborhood Clinics” Plan to help address the need for affordable and accessible primary healthcare services for uninsured Los Angeles County residents. 

Molina announced her “Neighborhood Clinics” Plan at a workshop made up of community health care providers, and encouraged non county private-public partners (PPP) as well as existing PPP’s to apply for the competitive funding for new clinics and expansion of existing clinics in high need, under-resourced areas of the County.  

“I look forward to my “Neighborhood Clinics” project creating a new health care infrastructure which provides increased clinic capacity for our children and families in underserved areas of the County,” said Molina.  “We will create ‘Medical Homes’ and provide ‘Neighborhood Doctors’ in local communities so that residents do not need to travel a long distance to get good primary care.” 

            Since the Spring of 2008, Molina has been working with the County’s Department of Health Services to identify County funding to increase capacity for health services in high-need, low resourced areas.  The $44.8 million secured by Molina will be allocated over a three-year period:

 

• $7.8 million for Infrastructure:  First priority for this funding is the creation of new clinics in underserved geographic areas of the County’s Service Planning Areas (SPAs) 1, 3, 6, 7, and 8.  Second priority is capital projects/renovations that add capacity at existing clinic sites. Projects may include school-based health clinics and should already be planned for completion within two years.  Funding can not be used to supplant existing funding.

 

• $35.5 million for Capacity-building and Expanded Access:  Expands access to primary and specialty care services for new patients in the SPAs 1, 3, 6, 7 8.  The first priority is to support the new clinics funded by the infrastructure grant.  The second priority is to increase capacity to service new patients at existing Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) clinics. 

 

• Other Monies:  $2.7 million for SPA 2 - $1.5M for electronic health records and related.

 

Molina is encouraging clinics which are not currently PPP partners with the County to apply, in addition to existing PPP partners in good standing with the county.  The application deadline is at 4:00p.m. May 27, 2009.  For more information, http://camisvr.co.la.ca.us/lacobids/BidLookUp/BidLookUpFrm.asp bid #HS1019.    -End-