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A Model of
Community Care
Partly due to the fact that AltaMed is an
organization that helps the uninsured and
underinsured, over 80 percent of its patients are
women and children. “We provide programs that
address the needs of mothers and their families,”
says Ziola Escobar, vice president of Strategic
Development & Community Support. In addition to
services such as pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology,
laboratory services, immunizations, and geriatric
primary care, AltaMed offers myriad programs created
specifically to serve the populations communities in
which its sites are located. AltaMed looks to the
community for cultural and communal guidance, which
has ultimately allowed for the acceptance of the
organization within the community.
One of those programs is AltaMed’s Teen Pregnancy &
Parenting program, created to help teach young and
expectant mothers and fathers the skills necessary
to successfully raise a healthy child. This program
also provides transportation, child-care,
job-training and family-planning classes, aiming to
help teens with children to stay in school and off
of welfare. “Teen pregnancy is one of the biggest
issues within the Latino community, and we here at
AltaMed are doing our best at reaching out to young
mothers in need of assistance and health care,” de
la Rocha says.
The passion and commitment to uplifting the
community is evident in AltaMed’s grassroots
outreach and marketing campaigns. Making sure to
reach the community in a way that is both effective
and informative, many of the programs are advertised
through several community-based outlets, such as
local school districts and other venues where
potential patients are likely to gather.
AltaMed also offers HIV testing and counseling at
several sites. In a world in which AIDS is rapidly
consuming lives and ravishing entire communities,
AltaMed places great importance in providing
anonymous HIV testing to at-risk communities. “We
are finding that most of the individuals that test
positive in our community are young men and older
women,” Escobar says.
The high rate of HIV infection in young men
typically results from unprotected and risky sexual
behavior, as well as drug use. In turn, many older
women contract the virus from their husbands who are
involved in extramarital affairs with women or men
who transmit the virus to them. These unsuspecting
women might be infected for years before getting
tested.
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Another unique program offered by AltaMed is its
long-term patient-care program, PACE (Program for
All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly). Many
community-based clinics only provide primary care
and some short-term patient services, but PACE
provides several services that range from primary
care to full-time nursing-home care. To be an
elderly person without health care and in need of
medical attention is a highly stressful and serious
situation. AltaMed offers these seniors a place to
go to receive excellent services by a fully trained
staff whose goal it is to successfully treat each
and every patient’s needs comprehensively. |
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AltaMed President and CEO Castulo de la Rocha
interacts with AltaMed patients. |
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California has always been one of the most diverse
states in the nation. Southern California is home to
several different ethnic groups, usually
concentrated in neighborhoods or regions of the
city. AltaMed has made an effort to create
multicultural health centers that accurately reflect
the communities with which they serve. A perfect
example of this highly effective multicultural model
of healthcare is an AltaMed site in Los Angeles’
Chinatown with a patient base that is half Chinese,
Vietnamese, and Korean and half Latino. “We have a
bicultural and bilingual staff that can accommodate
the several different ethnic groups that frequent
this site,” says Escobar. “It is a new model that we
have been working on as an example of the future of
AltaMed serving the community.”
The strength of AltaMed ultimately resides in its
extremely dedicated, hard-working staff, who
consistently maintain a professional yet warm
environment with the goal of turning no one away.
The team behind this thriving organization is lead
by de la Rocha. A man of dedication and
resourcefulness, his connection with the community
and passion for the underrepresented and oftentimes
ignored populations are largely responsible for
AltaMed’s success.
Being able to serve the communities that many of
AltaMed’s staff an boardmembers grew up and still
reside in is a reward all its own. Fifty percent of
the members of AltaMed’s board of directors are also
AltaMed patients. This creates an environment of
openness and honesty, as well as a dedication to
true change, with the needs and desires of the
patients who benefit on a daily basis especially at
heart. With such a progressive approach to health
care, AltaMed is a shining example of the future of
health care.
For further information, please visit AltaMed at
www.altamed.org or call (323) 725-875. |
