Los Angeles Medical Home Project

The California HealthCare Foundation supported seven local, community-based coalitions for the California Medical Home Project, including a coalition in Los Angeles. The project promoted the development of new and improved systems, designed by stakeholders, to improve access to medical homes for children with special health care needs. The purpose of the project was to improve access to comprehensive, coordinated primary and specialty care for children with special health care needs and their families by developing a statewide network of family-centered medical homes. This network consisted of locally-based community coalitions throughout the state. The coalitions built upon the resources of each of the participating communities and were responsive to their unique needs. A Statewide Coalition, composed of individuals from the public and private sectors that serve children with special health care needs and their families, parents, and other experts, formed to examine obstacles and opportunities for model development, address broad policy issues, and identify and mentor new and established local coalitions interested in implementing medical home models. The project Steering Committee met monthly to guide project activities and the Program Office supported local coalitions through technical assistance, consultation, training and sharing of information. The primary target population for the project was approximately 150,000 children who received services from California Children’s Services (CCS). These children were the main focus of the statewide and local medical home coalitions’ efforts toward building and sustaining a medical home infrastructure. However, since most providers do not limit their practices to those children enrolled in the CCS program, it was expected that, ultimately, other children with special needs, whether enrolled in CCS or not, benefitted from project activities.