news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2017                                        

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515

ACAP RECOGNIZES THE ACHIEVABLE FOUNDATION WITH
2017 SUPPORTING THE SAFETY NET AWARD

WASHINGTON—Today, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) presented its twelfth annual Supporting the Safety Net Award to The Achievable Foundation, a community not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing high-quality, integrated health care services to adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other vulnerable populations in the Los Angeles region.

The Achievable Foundation created the Achievable Health Center (AHC) in 2013 to meet the health care needs of its high-risk population. People who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities face a panoply of issues in accessing and high-quality health care. AHC addresses these issues by providing dedicated primary care, mental health services, and other specialty care to adults and children.

One of the most effective strategies is simple–time. AHC allots adequate time with providers to accommodate for communications challenges that patients may have, identify underlying barriers to care, answer patient and caregiver concerns, and address current medical issues. Spending quality time with patients and using specialized diagnostic equipment has directly resulted in patients’ improved well-being by their second or third visit.

Over a two-year period, the health center provided services to more than 1,500 patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“‘Equal access to health care for all’ is a talking point deployed by many. But the Achievable Health Center brings it to life through their trailblazing efforts to provide comprehensive, high-quality care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said John Baackes, Chief Executive Officer, L.A. Care, which nominated The Achievable Foundation for the award. “They exemplify the best the safety net has to offer.”

“Substantial, long-lasting partnerships between safety net health plans and community organizations are the cornerstone to delivering the highest quality of life,” said ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray. “AHC serves as a national model for providing care. We’re delighted to recognize them this year.”

The health center’s high-quality care has resulted in a multitude of positive health outcomes. In 2016, 7 in 10 children received all recommended immunizations; the rate had more than doubled over the previous year. Recommended screenings for colorectal cancer increased ten percentage points between 2015 and 2016.

And the high-quality care has led to high patient satisfaction: more than 85 percent of surveyed patients who received mental health services said their quality of life improved after their mental health services.

“There’s a crying need in Los Angeles for more tailored, more responsive services for people who live with individual and developmental disabilities,” added Baackes. “The Achievable Health Center stepped into the breach and met this high level of need admirably. They’re a pillar of our community and we couldn’t be prouder of our association with them.”

The “Supporting the Safety Net” award recognizes a community-based organization or individual that has implemented exemplary, inventive programs to meet the health needs of high-risk populations and that can serve as a model of best practices for other communities. It was presented at ACAP’s CEO Summit in Washington, D.C.

For more information about The Achievable Foundation, visit https://achievable.org/

More about the Supporting the Safety Net Award is available at http://www.communityplans.net.

About ACAP

ACAP represents 60 not-for-profit Safety Net Health Plans, which provide health coverage to more than twenty million people in 29 states. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.

# # #