SC CTSI and UCLA CTSI are partnering with LA County Department of Health Services (the country’s second-largest municipal health system) on a novel program to improve healthcare for underserved, high-disparity populations. Our aim is to leverage effective healthcare interventions to improve access, quality of care, and health outcomes for DHS patients. We have established critical infrastructure for effective cross-sector translational research, including a new grant program to evaluate innovative interventions (see outcomes below), specialized research service cores, a multidisciplinary training and mentorship program tailored for healthcare delivery science scientists, and a national collaboration with other CTSIs who also partnered with Departments of Public Health or Health Systems. 

To date, this program has led to significantly better patient outcomes from six funded projects that emphasized bi-directional partnerships:

1. Reduced time to treatment for alcohol withdrawal in Los Angeles County jails from 66 to 33 minutes & eliminated decompensated withdrawal (USC PIs: Michael Hochman & Lello Tesema) 
2. Lowered A1c levels from 10.2 to 9.3% (p=0.003) in diabetic patients through a Lifestyle Redesign® occupational therapy-based program (USC PI: Beth Pyatak) 
3. Reduced high-level amputations (16.4% to 11.7%, p = 0.03) and length-of-stay (10.1 to 8.9, p = 0.02) for patients with diabetic foot ulcers (USC PI: David Armstrong) 
4. Improved the quality of family meetings in the ICU, and reduced intensity and duration of ICU treatments (LOS decreased 24.9%) (UCLA PI) 
5. Increased clinician confidence and competency in using acupressure and Tai Chi to improve chronic pain (UCLA PI) 6. Reduced prescription of post-operative opioid medications across DHS and improved guideline adherence from 43% to 68% (UCLA PI)

Download the USC UCLA DHS Acts Poster 2021