Could California become the healthiest state in the nation by 2022? That is the goal of Let’s Get Healthy California, a public-private initiative started in 2012 with the purpose of advancing the triple-aim, promoting health equity and leveraging innovation through collective impact. The organization hosted a recent innovation conference, which assessed progress to-date and highlighted the work of health care trailblazers throughout the state. Whether they address behavioral health and primary care integration, lack of access to treatment for children’s developmental problems or insufficient resources for advanced-care planning, change makers are dedicating their time and passion to advancing health care. Projects at the conference highlighted innovative approaches to some of health care’s biggest challenges:

Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care

As part of a new model, all patients at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center are screened for alcohol, tobacco, anxiety depression, partner violence and drugs. “A lot of these things focus around culture change to become team-based,” said Jo Marie Reilly, MD, professor of clinical family medicine at University of Southern California.  “This hasn’t been easy. It has been a huge blowup of a system.” The initiative launched eight months ago and in that time the clinic has tracked that patients are gaining more social work visits, more psychiatry visits and more linkages to services.

Using Data to Solve Community Problems

The Wellbeing Project at the city of Santa Monica is using data to consider the full range of environmental and societal factors known to influence health and wellbeing. Data-driven findings are being used to make decisions, allocate resources and cultivate partnerships to address targeted trends and needs.

Making Advanced Care Planning Easier

PREPARE at UCSF has developed an advanced directive template, which is written at a fifth grade reading level and is available in 10 languages. This has doubled completion rates from baseline rates.

Mental Health Services for New Moms

Maternal Mental Health NOW is a pilot project that integrates perinatal mental health care into a primary care setting at USC-Eisner Family Medicine. Current work is underway to rigorously study the project at USC-Eisner FMC, implement an integrated perinatal mental health care model at two additional health centers and publish a best practice resource guide on how to integrate perinatal mental health care into other medical settings.

Health System Transformation

The American Academy of Pediatrics is working to promote children’s optimal development, learning by identifying and addressing problems early. Screening, assessment and delivery of developmental and behavioral treatment services are provided for young children with mild to moderate concerns who would not otherwise qualify for existing services. 95 percent of kids who receive these services have made gains.

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