Founded in 1969 as East L.A. Bario Free Clinic, AltaMed Health Services Corp. is the largest federally qualified independent community health center in the nation, with more than 68 sites across Southern California.
Like all health care providers, AltaMed’s facilities were swamped during the pandemic as people sought treatment for virus-related illness and testing, but the numbers have climbed considerably again as residents look to catch up on preventative care visits and immunizations for their children.
During the height of pandemic, AltaMed had approximately 650,000 patients come through its affiliated networks, but fast-forward to 2023 and that number is now around 889,000 people, about a 26% increase.
The new landscape is proving challenging to navigate, especially in the wake of funding reductions for state and local public health and Medi-Cal redeterminations. This has resulted in some former recipients losing their insurance.
But despite the obstacles, President and Chief Executive Cástulo de la Rocha said AltaMed has been able to introduce new programs and services and form partnerships that have elevated the care it provides to some of the most severely economically challenged areas of Los Angeles.
Like other providers, it’s relying on telehealth to help level the playing field.
In addition, AltaMed has started new urgent care centers throughout the city to improve access to care.
“We also opened our first sports medicine clinic, mental health and psychiatry programs, our first cardiology clinic, a urogynecology and maternal fetal medicine program and a senior care program called AltaMed Plus,” said de la Rocha.
“Our senior-based PACE (the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) continues to attract more patients each year,” he continued. “More importantly, we embarked on a new enhanced care management program to provide more health care services from a team of specialists to support patients experiencing homelessness, severe mental illness and critically complex issues.”
Other additions include the acquisition of a dental program, Healthy Smiles for Kids in Orange County and a network of community clinics known as Community Health Alliance of Pasadena (ChapCare).
“AltaMed’s management services, IPA and health plan partnerships enjoyed robust growth as we gained members throughout southern California for managed care health care services and value-based care,” said de la Rocha. “The AltaMed team grew to about 5,200 staff members in 2024, thanks to our commitment to providing a living wage of $24 per hour for many of our workforce, many of whom come from the neighborhoods we serve.”
But perhaps the most difficult issue, said de la Rocha, is the shortage of Latino physicians.
“The majority of patients covered by Medi-Cal and of low income in California are Latino, therefore this disparity will continue to impact access and equity until it is addressed significantly,” said de la Rocha.
To address the disparity, AltaMed has introduced a new Family Residency Program to support its ongoing effort to recruit and train Spanish-speaking physicians. It’s also added a new psychiatry program to address the shortage of behavioral health providers, which limits the ability of the Medi-Cal delivery system to provide such services.
“Delivering on the promise of Health4All by expanding the Medi-Cal program to everyone, regardless of immigration status, was the absolutely the right thing to do,” said de la Rocha. “But simply providing insurance coverage does not equal true access. We must also have the ability to provide services that are rooted in culture and equity, beginning with ensuring that a patient can communicate with their provider.”
