L.A. Care Health Plan has taken a leadership role in its partnership with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH), helping to close the gap in care for high-risk adult patients with complex and chronic conditions by awarding $500,000 to the hospital’s foundation in support of the newly opened Advanced Care Clinic (ACC).
For very sick adults in South Los Angeles, the Advanced Care Clinic provides transitional care following discharge from the hospital — an opportunity to return to health while avoiding a hospital readmission. Physicians in the hospital’s newly formed MLK Community Medical Group staff and oversee the ACC.
“Our patients really need us they find so many ways to express their gratitude,” says Dr. Juan Cabrales, who helped design the medical program at the ACC, where he serves as its first physician.
“All of us at the clinic are grateful for the opportunity to provide quality care to this beautiful community. We truly love being here.”
Patients receive specialized support in managing their conditions at the ACC, returning to their primary care physician once they are stabilized. Local community clinics are strong partners in the ACC’s work, both referring and receiving patients. The gift from L.A. Care makes an impact throughout the South Los Angeles community, strengthening the network of services designed to support patient needs.
“We are pleased to support the Advanced Care Clinic as part of an effort to meet the health needs of South LA’s most vulnerable residents,” says L.A. Care CEO John Baackes. “There is no doubt that MLK Hospital is making a powerful impact in the lives of Angelenos.”
Funding from L.A. Care will contribute to the hiring of medical staff to serve more than 1,500 patients in the first year with the overall goal of reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and long hospital stays. To date, L.A. Care has awarded MLKCH $1 million in grants to help improve the health of South Los Angeles residents and support long-term infrastructure needs of MLKCH facilities.
The new clinic, located at 2215 W. Rosecrans Avenue, welcomed its first patients on December 27, 2016.
“Over time the hospital’s Advanced Care Program will offer an umbrella of services that will help fill the gap in the community’s continuum of care,” says Dr. John Fisher, Chief Medical Officer at MLKCH. “This clinic is our starting point.”
By ensuring space and operation support for an outpatient practice site, L.A. Care’s grant also helps recruit new physicians to care for South LA’s chronically ill patients. Capital and pre-opening support for the Advanced Care Clinic was provided by the W.M. Keck Foundation, the Weingart Foundation, and the Good Hope Medical Foundation.
