Delivering equitable, compassionate, whole-person healthcare

Health Care Access

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Los Angeles has significant disparities in access to healthcare, especially in under-resourced communities. For example, quality, affordable prenatal care is key to improving infant and maternal outcomes yet the LA County Department of Public Health reports over 13% of Black mothers and nearly 10% of Latino mothers received no prenatal care in their first trimester. This greatly increases risks for mother and baby. Additionally, with rising rates of homelessness (especially among pregnant people and families with small children) and increased mental-health challenges, Claris' services remain in demand. While LA is rich with resources, they are often hard to access. There is urgency to unite agencies to make it easier for people to receive integrated care. Our Mobile Medical Unit meets this need, especially for pregnant people, by connecting individuals to medical, mental health, and prenatal services and bringing vital care directly into neighborhoods across Los Angeles.

The Mobile Medical Unit was launched in 2019 to provide easier access to integrated healthcare throughout Los Angeles. What began as a pop-up clinic at a housing community in Compton in 2017, grew into a 30-ft mobile vehicle that brings services directly to those in need. The mobile clinic serves at local partner agency sites that are desperate for their populations to receive medical services but who also understand the challenges to accessing care and trusting providers. This includes substance abuse treatment facilities, homeless shelters, transitional age youth facilities, food banks, low-income housing communities, and more. Some of these sites consistently serve pregnant patients who have not accessed prenatal care. The mobile unit offers a range of health services including pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, well woman exams, birth control, nutrition counseling, prenatal care, and general health screenings. The mobile clinic operates four days per week and regularly serves at 20 sites throughout LA County. The mobile clinic is not just about medical services. Claris means clarity, and our dedicated staff and unique programs are known to brighten situations that can appear dark and confusing. We invest in getting to know each patient, treating them with dignity, and building a support system by connecting patients to specialized medical providers and additional community resources through a network of more than 300 partners.

Our vision for success includes expanding our capacity to bring hope to those who feel forgotten or alone. As a past patient shared, "Claris was a safe place when I was escaping an unsafe situation. When my own family turned their back on me, Claris became family." We want to do more. With this grant, we will: ? Provide care for 800 individuals, a 25% increase over the prior year. ? Expand the number of service sites to 23. ? Increase partners to 320, eliminating barriers and providing warm hand offs to trusted agencies. Long-term, Claris plans to expand equal access to healthcare and critical resources to thousands of people per year by opening a community campus in South LA. The campus will include space for multiple service providers, shared classrooms, caseworkers, a safe playground, drop-in childcare, and a coffee shop. Our goal is to create a beautiful, safe place for people to access care and social services under one roof and provide ongoing connection and community.

Mobile site partners receive an annual survey for feedback and evaluation of numbers and demographics. Data is used to consider site effectiveness and areas for improvement. 85% of partners surveyed report high satisfaction with services provided through the Mobile Medical Unit. Claris takes assessing and improving effectiveness seriously. Executive leadership meets regularly to monitor progress, analyze results, and discuss adjustments to meet objectives. Patient and partner feedback is analyzed monthly to ensure needs are being met. Impact is measured through performance indicators, which are reviewed quarterly by the Board. Claris Health is licensed as a primary care clinic by the California Health Department, accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, and funded through California's Family PACT program. These agencies bring additional accountability and distinguish Claris through rigorous standards of care, safety, and quality improvement.