LIVETelehealth for Medically Underserved LA Neighborhoods
Clinica Romero is requesting urgent support at this unprecedented time to continue offering primary care services for underserved groups including low-income immigrant families and homeless individuals. As a community health provider, our clinics are on the front lines of the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are playing a key role in both prevention and diagnosis of the virus. Our goal is to provide care to our local community regardless of a patient's ability to pay.
Has your proposal changed due to COVID-19?
As a community health clinic, Clinica Romero is on the front lines of the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and is playing a key role in both prevention and diagnosis of the virus. Our original proposal included a response to COVID-19 and additional details are included here. Through funding received from the LA2050 challenge, we aim to:
* Purchase equipment that will enable us to provide primary care and mental health services through telehealth (phone and video)
* Provide remote (through phone calls and social media platforms) health education related to COVID-19 for high risk groups and educate underserved community members on how to access telehealth services available to them through our two clinic sites
* Provide sanitation supplies to homeless patients visiting our site for weekly showers
* Facilitate medication delivery for high risk patients through at-home drop off services
Clinica Romero maintains its doors open at its two clinic sites located in the neighborhoods of Pico-Union/Westlake and Boyle Heights in Los Angeles. Only essential medical visits are being scheduled for patients at this time to ensure that they receive the care and medication they need to remain healthy. All other patients are able to access care through telehealth services and are provided education on how to access their primary care or mental health provider via a phone call or a secure video conference.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
East LA
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Pilot project or new program
What is the need you’re responding to?
Clínica Romero is located in Los Angeles County SPA 4 and serves the low-income, immigrant and homeless population in the area. According to the most recent Key Indicators of Health Report (2017), the LA County Department of Public Health identifies SPA 4 with the second highest incidence of poverty (24%) and reported household food insecurity (32%). Our two clinics are located in Pico Union and Boyle Heights – areas defined as having too few primary care providers. Through these sites, we provide services to an average of 12,000 patients annually, of whom 100% live in poverty, 45% are uninsured, and 7% are experiencing homelessness. Our primary objective is to provide screening, testing, diagnostic, and primary care services to underserved patients that are at high risk of contracting COVID-19. All of our patients are low-income and many are employed in service industry work that does not allow them to work from home during the LA County “Safer at Home” quarantine.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
Clinica Romero serves a high number of immigrant patients that are often afraid to seek care due to the risk of utilizing government programs. Clinica Romero has provided care to immigrant families and individuals experiencing homelessness since its inception and is well trusted in the communities that we serve. Our goal is to ensure that our communities receive the information they need to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19 and appropriate care if they are sick. We also aim to educate individuals experiencing homelessness on COVID-19, and provide sanitation supplies, weekly opportunities for them to take showers on site, and medical care as needed.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 350
Indirect Impact: 12,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
Clinica Romero is committed to improving access to high quality care for underserved patients in order to address community health issues with an equity lens. Through this goal, we aim to expand access to care and provide innovative programming in order to meet community need/demand, and improve patient care and health outcome measures during the Covid-19 pandemic. By ensuring that the most underserved receive the care that they need during this time, we aim to maintain and strengthen community and family resilience in Los Angeles. Through education, we will continue to organize underserved populations to self-advocate for much needed health care services well beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
If funded, Clinica Romero will utilize its Electronic Health Record system to track services for the duration of the grant, as well as health outcomes. Health outcome data includes diagnostic codes which allow us to track patient wellbeing related to their diagnosis. For example, we will be able to track the number of patients served, diagnoses categories for served patients, COVID-19 positive cases, and health outcomes for COVID-19 patients (type of follow up care needed and recovery). We will also track the number of patients who are able to receive telehealth services, medication delivery, and homeless individuals who received a shower/sanitation supplies.
The broader impact to Los Angeles will be measured by:
Number of staff we were able to keep employed due to grant funding;
Number of community members who were provided health education to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through remote services.
Our vision of success includes maintaining and strengthening community resilience through ensuring that the most underserved residents in Los Angeles have access to medical and mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which of the LIVE metrics will your submission impact?
Healthcare access
Resilient communities
Access to mental health services
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Communications support
Strategy assistance and implementation