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Skid Row Homeless Healthcare |
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Ensuring that people who are homeless in Los Angeles County have access to a full range of health services is key to improving their well-being. Concern about the unmet health needs of the homeless individuals prompted the Weingart Foundation to begin the Skid Row Homeless Healthcare Initiative in 2003.
Informed by research conducted by Dr. Michael Cousineau of the USC Center for Community Health Studies, the purpose of the Skid Row Homeless Healthcare Initiative is to reduce suffering of homeless people in and around the Skid Row area by improving their health through increased access to coordinated and integrated services. Through this Initiative, the Foundation supports improvements in health care delivery that enable access to a full spectrum of care oriented to the specific needs of homeless people.
To that end, a group comprised of private and public agencies was formed under the auspices of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. The group was subsequently charged with developing plans, projects and policy actions that would result in integration of services and expanded capacity. This has produced a number of jointly coordinated projects designed to improve the delivery of care, outreach and access. As the Initiative continues to evolve, options for integrated care remain the highest priority. Currently, the Initiative’s focus is on the development of a community health center providing specialized care for people in the Skid Row area.
Weingart Foundation grants have supported technical assistance, coordination, project implementation, evaluation and capacity building. These efforts have been generously supported by a group of foundations and other funding sources.
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