L.A. Care Commits $4 Million to Help Unsheltered People for Medi-Cal

To improve the health of the city’s homeless population, L.A. Care Health Plan is allocating $4.05 million to a street medicine effort for Medi-Cal

The health insurance would provide up to $500,000 to nine groups that provide street medicinal services. The program’s stated objectives are strengthening Los Angeles’s street medical teams and preventing those without stable housing from losing their Medi-Cal benefits during the current period of Medicaid redeterminations. 

Benefits of the Project by L.A Care for Medi-Cal:

Some of the services set to become available through this project are:

• Improved care management
• Preventative screenings
• Immunizations
• Screenings for severe mental illness
• Links to housing and social services 

The money comes from the Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program in the state of California; this is a voluntary initiative for Medi-Cal managed care plans that encourages them to make advances in this field.

“L.A. Care’s Street Medicine Initiative will increase the number of street team members and services offered to the most vulnerable people in our communities, many of whom are L.A. Care members,” L.A. Care CEO John Baackes stated. “A secondary purpose of this initiative is to assist people experiencing homelessness with their Medi-Cal applications. The last thing we want is for people to needlessly lose health coverage simply because there was no address to send their renewal packet.”

The organizations that will receive full funding are Healthcare in Action, Venice Family Clinic, Department of Health Services, Los Angeles County, JWCH Institute Inc., The Children’s Clinic, Northeast Valley Health Corporation, Special Service for Groups Inc., Los Angeles Christian Health Centers and St. John’s Community Health.

The Community Health Department of L.A. Care Plan is home to groups focusing on street medicine, housing projects, social assistance, and behavioral health. Sameer Amin, M.D., chief medical officer of the company, stated that the current endeavor is fairly fresh for the plan, as is street medication itself. 

Amin noted that when individuals lose their homes, they often lose contact with the medical facility they had been visiting. So the care must be brought to them at times. He added that while the concept of street medicine is easy, putting it into practice is anything but.

In addition to coordinating amongst themselves, the teams must also work in tandem with physical medical facilities where the unhoused may already be receiving treatment. Teams on the streets must also think about the various types of equipment they would require to assist different people, such as immunization or screening tools for the elderly or youngsters. Health information has to be shared for billing, medication management, and other purposes, and a referral network must be in place for both general and specialized treatments.

In addition, it is essential to maintain population enrollment in the health plan to prevent people from losing access to essential medical care. Many of the county’s homeless population receives health care coverage via the state’s Medicaid program.

More than 2.9 million people in Los Angeles County are served by L.A. Care, The organization is presently collaborating with the state, street medicine providers, and traditional clinics to expand access to street medicine throughout the county. Planning administrators are also working with other county payers to avoid duplicative activities, Amin added.