St. John's Well Child and Family Center
808 W. 58th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90037
United States
St. John’s Community Health (SJCH) is a network of clinics in Los Angeles providing medical, dental, mental health, and substance use services as well as case management, supportive services, and outreach services. SJCH started as a one-room, volunteer-run pediatric health clinic in 1964. Today, it is one of the largest non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) healthcare providers in Los Angeles and beyond, serving patients of all ages at over 20 locations including standalone clinics, mobile clinics, school-based health and wellness centers, and clinics in public/affordable housing developments. Their mission is to improve community health and reduce health disparities by delivering high quality, comprehensive services and impacting health and social policy.
To advance oral health equity and access to quality, whole-person care for low-income, marginalized individuals in South, Central, and East Los Angeles, SJCH proposes to implement a medical and dental integration project across its network of FQHCs. The proposed medical and dental integration project will be embedded in the Dramatic Performance Improvement (DPI) model, developed by Coleman Associates (https://colemanassociates.com/product/dpi-collaborative), which can significantly enhance the integration of medical and dental services to improve overall patient care. DPI promotes the integration by addressing the barriers that often exist between these two disciplines. It emphasizes the importance of breaking down silos and promoting cross-functional teamwork, allowing for a holistic approach to patient care. By implementing DPI, SJCH medical and dental providers can collaborate closely, share patient information, and coordinate treatment plans, ensuring both medical and dental are addressed.
SJCH is currently implementing DPI for almost 20 health centers leading to improvements in patient outcomes, operational efficiency, patient satisfaction, wait times, and coordination of care. Over the one-year project period, SJCH will achieve medical and dental integration at 17 of its health centers. By engaging marginalized communities and supporting community decision-making, medical and dental care integration becomes a catalyst for broader systems change that promotes health equity, social justice, and sustainable improvements in the oral and health outcomes of marginalized populations.
The budget for this proposal is $125,000, which represents less than 1% of SJCH’s overall budget. Funding will Staff, education materials, and indirect expenses.
This proposal is one of 10 selected finalists for the Community and Care Transformation RFP.