Community Partners In Care was a collaborative of community and academic members working together to improve depression care in our communities. Our partners are:

Behavioral Health Services, Inc.

Behavioral Health Services is a not-for-profit community-based healthcare organization providing substance abuse, mental health, drug-free transitional living, older adult services, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, and other related health service to the residents of Southern California. BHS’ mission is to transform lives by offering hope and opportunities for recovery, wellness, and independence. Since 1973, BHS has provided inpatient detoxification and residential and outpatient treatment services to substance abusers. Over the past thirty-four years BHS expanded services to meet the comprehensive needs of its clients. They now provide services from 11 sites located throughout Los Angeles County. These sites include two free-standing chemical dependency recovery centers with medical detoxification and residential/outpatient treatment, two residential treatment facilities, seven outpatient facilities, and two transitional living facilities. The BHS continuum of care includes four community assessment center sites, prevention programs for adolescents and older adults, and geriatric case management and home care services for frail elderly and disabled adults. BHS substance abuse programs are licensed and/or certified by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and accredited by CARF the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
For more information about BHS go to www.bhs-inc.org

Charles Drew University

It is the mission of Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science to conduct education, research and clinical services in the context of community engagement. To train health professionals who promote wellness, provide care with excellence and compassion, and to transform the health of underserved communities. The University has evolved and grown, shaped by the needs of the community it serves. Located in the Watts-Willowbrook section of South Los Angeles, the institution benefits from its location and the corresponding diversity of its patient population by creating an academic environment unlike any other. The University is named in honor of Dr. Charles R. Drew, a brilliant African-American physician, famous for his pioneering work in blood preservation. His dedication to learning and the sharing of knowledge to benefit mankind is the inspiration for the University. The 11-acre campus includes a day care facility, elementary school, high-school, biomedical library, central administration, educational & learning resources, basic clinical and population-based research facilities, and housing for postgraduate students. Based on the concept of the “educational pipeline,” a child could conceivably start out in day care, complete all the necessary levels of schooling and graduate as a practicing physician all on one campus. The University strives to improve the health status of under served communities through innovative biomedical research, and progressive health policies. By maintaining and expanding relationships with local medical schools, research institutions and community-based organizations, Drew is focused on eliminating the health disparities by providing access to and delivery of healthcare services to underserved populations.
For more information about Charles Drew University go to www.cdrewu.edu

City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

The Department of Recreation and Parks maintains and operates more than 390 sites for recreational use. The Department establishes, operates and maintains parks, swimming pools, public golf courses, recreation centers, museums, child care centers, youth camps, tennis courts, sports programs, and programs for senior citizens. It also supervises construction of new facilities, and the improvement of existing ones. The Department operates 180 recreation centers, 59 swimming pools, 9 lakes, 7 camps, more than a dozen museums and historic sites, and hundreds of programs for youth, senior, physically disabled and volunteers. The responsibility for the total year-round recreation program at each of the local centers is in the hands of that center’s director, a trained professional recreator. Among the museums under the jurisdiction of the Department are Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro, the Banning Residence Museum in Wilmington, Fort MacArthur Military Museum, Drum Barracks Civil War Museum in San Pedro, and Travel Town in Griffith Park. Several mountain facilities, staffed by trained counselors and directors, are maintained and operated in the Los Angeles area, the San Bernardino Mountains, and High Sierra. Twenty-nine full-time centers specifically for senior citizens are located in all areas of the City. Also, senior citizen clubs hold meetings and special events at numerous other recreation facilities. For more information about the City of LA Dept. of Recreation and Parks go to www.laparks.org

Healthy African American Families

Healthy African American Families II (HAAF) is a non-profit, community-serving agency whose mission is to improve the health outcomes of the African American and Latino communities in Los Angeles County by enhancing the quality of care and advancing social progress through education, training and collaborative partnering with community stakeholders, academia, researchers and government. HAAF services all of South Los Angeles, Service Planning Area 6 in particular. HAAF is widely regarded in the community as an advocate voice, and source of education and training around disparities, and research for the local community. HAAF regularly disseminates research to community in its free major yearly events. HAAF’s partners include Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, UCLA, RAND, and over 150 community based organizations. Current HAAF projects include: Preterm Delivery, Building Bridges to Optimum Health, Witness for Wellness (W4W), Breath-Free Asthma Program, Male Involvement Project, 100 Acts of Kindness, Breathe Free Asthma Awareness, Action for Housing Owners & Managers, and Community Partners in Care. For more information about HAAF, go to www.haafii.org

Los Angeles Christian Health Centers

LACHC has a vision to dramatically improve the health and well-being of the homeless and underserved populations of Los Angeles through the provision of superior-quality, Christ-centered healthcare at a financially viable, state-of-the-art facility. LACHC was funded by the Los Angeles Mission, Inc. in 1995 with only 4 staff members. In 2008, LACHC grew to 50 full-time & part-time staff members (17 licensed providers, 13 clinical support staff and 10 administrative staff) two clinics and six satellite clinics. LACHC has over 70 active volunteers who donate their time monthly, including doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists, and students and residents from partnering academic institutions such as: Cedars-Sinai Internal Medicine Residency Program, USC Keck School of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine Doctoring Program, Mount Saint Mary’s School of Nursing, Azusa Pacific University School of Nursing, and AmeriCorps. LACHC offers primary and preventive adult and pediatric medical care, dental care, mental health and case management, medical outreach, optometry, HIV and hepatitis C education, counseling, testing, and HIV primary care and many more services. For more information about LACHC go to www.lachc.com

Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health

The Department of Mental Health develops and coordinates mental health services to address these needs through a community-based process. Primary services include case management, inpatient care, outpatient services (including crisis intervention/emergency response), and day treatment programs. Day treatment programs are provided through a network of contracted County-operated mental health clinics and hospitals. Using standards established by law and regulation DMH reviews and monitors the clinical and fiscal performance of all service providers. The service system for adults and older adults is targeted to a population that includes individuals who are functionally disabled by severe and persistent mental illness, who are low-income, uninsured and temporarily impaired, or in situational crises. The target population for services is children and youth who are seriously emotionally disturbed, and who are diagnosed with a mental disorder. DMH has partnered extensively with UCLA, RAND, and USC in research, including the Witness for Wellness (W4W) initiative, CPIC, the NIMH Center, and a new evaluation of the impact of the California Mental Health Services Act on full-services partnerships. For more information on DMH go to http://dmh.lacounty.gov

Los Angeles Urban League

Los Angeles Urban League (LAUL) is a non-profit service and advocacy organization which has been at the forefront of identifying and addressing issues that are of concern to African Americans and other minorities in the City of Los Angeles for more than 85 years. The mission of the Los Angeles Urban League it to enable African Americans and other minorities to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights through advocacy activities. LAUL also aims for the provision of programs and services in our uniquely diversified city and region. The LAUL, one of the largest and most respected affiliates of the National Urban League has embarked on a bold new strategy to achieve equity for African Americans and other minorities living in Los Angeles. “Neighborhoods@Work” the Neighborhood Initiative model for community change focuses on Education, Employment, Safety, Health, and Housing. The Neighborhood Initiative- a place-based model that recognizes inter-relationships and works to coordinate programs and activities of the League and its partners to create systemic change for the most disadvantaged African Americans and other minorities in Los Angeles. The LAUL’s place-based Neighborhood Initiative is a collaborative effort to address the inter-related social and economic challenges within a 70-block residential and commercial district of the Park Mesa Heights community of South Los Angeles surrounding Crenshaw High School (CHS). For more information about LAUL, go to www.laul.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Urban Los Angeles

NAMI, the acronym for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a grass roots, self help, support and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of families who have relatives with a brain disorder (mental illness). This includes families and consumers diagnosed with a mental illness, relatives and friends, mental health professionals, and all who share NAMI’s vision and mission. NAMI was founded in 1979 by 254 caring people and now has grown to more than 210,000 members in over 1,200 affiliate groups in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam. NAMI is getting stronger every day. In fact, Worth Magazine recently ranked NAMI in its “Top 100 charities most likely to change the world.” NAMI Urban Los Angeles (NULA) is the Urban Los Angeles Affiliate of NAMI National -California. NULA began as a support group of African American mothers in 2000. In 2003 these mothers joined the NAMI family and opened their chapter which is dedicated to mental health issues affecting communities of color. NULA provides education about severe brain disorders, supports and advocates for adequate health insurance, housing, rehabilitation and jobs for people with serious psychiatric illnesses. For more information about NULA go to www.namiurbanla.org

QueensCare Family Clinics

QueensCare Family Clinics (QFC) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing quality healthcare that is culturally sensitive and accessible to those in need, regardless of ability to pay. QFC is a Federally Qualified Health Center, and one of the largest private community clinic entities in Los Angeles County. With a fully implemented electronic health record system, QFC provides primary healthcare for adults and children as well as dental and vision care. The Clinics also have dispensing pharmacies and laboratory services on site.

At QueensCare Family Clinics, the focus is on health promotion, disease prevention, and health education in conjunction with primary care. QFC stands apart from other community-based healthcare organizations because QFC invests in health as opposed to illness. QFC health professionals and program staff educate individuals, families, groups, and communities about how to protect and maintain their good health. QFC has also developed a successful model to effectively manage chronic disease, which provides higher quality care at lower overall costs. For more information about QFC go to www.queenscarefamilyclinics.org

QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership

QueensCare is a public charity with a mission to provide, directly and with others, accessible healthcare for uninsured and low-income working individuals and families residing in Los Angeles County. QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership (QHFP) is a division of QueensCare focused on health outreach and preventive health services delivered by registered nurses and community health workers. QHFP provides a healthcare safety net for the poor, and uninsured, through an interfaith parish nursing program that delivers health promotion and disease-prevention activities in churches, temples, and mosques and other community-based organizations. Specific services include case management, health education and consultations, screening for major disease (i.e. heart disease, diabetes, cancer), and basic nursing care. QHFP currently partners with more than 60 organizations in the Greater Los Angeles area and reports approximately 60,000 client contacts each year.

For many, QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership is the entry point into the health care system. Operating out of places that people trust, faith and community-based organizations, these partnering sites become the access bridge to primary care. With each partnering organization, QHFP engages in a participatory relationship in the form of health cabinet composed of community members and organizational leaders whose role is to identify the healthcare needs of the organization and surrounding neighborhoods. QHFP nurses and health promoters then work with the health cabinet to collaboratively provide health education, health screenings, resources, and case management services.

QueensCare is a longstanding partner of RAND and UCLA through a variety of projects, including the UCLA/RAND/USC NIMH Advanced Services and Intervention Research Center, and the CPIC study. For more information about QHFP go to www.queenscare.org/qhfp

RAND Health

RAND Health is a division within RAND, a non-profit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. The mission of RAND health is to improve the health of populations around the world. We pursue this goal by conducting objective studies across the spectrum of health policy issues, ranging from health care quality and improvement, health care financing, and public health, to health promotion and disease prevention. We also work extensively on the scientific basis for improving service delivery, system performance, and organizational effectiveness. A major focus is our community-partnered work, in which we collaborate with community organizations and representatives to identify opportunities, conceptualize research and action-oriented agendas, design and implement research, analyze findings, and work together to ensure that those findings are appropriately disseminated and ultimately produce desired change. Examples of these partnerships include Community Partners In Care, which addresses depression in underserved minority communities in Los Angeles; Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools, which addresses trauma in Los Angeles schools; Alianza Contra el Asma, a community-centered coalition to address asthma disparities in Puerto Rico; and innovative work with community partners to develop improved, culturally appropriate mental health services in New Orleans. For more information about RAND Health go to www.rand.org/health

T.H.E. Clinic (To Help Everyone)

The mission of T.H.E. Clinic is to provide coordinated, continuous care to improve the health status, access and health awareness of medically underserved and low-income people in Los Angeles County. We accomplish our mission by providing culturally sensitive and quality comprehensive health services at affordable costs, and by encouraging and educating people to take a proactive role in maintaining their own health. T.H.E. Clinic provides these primary care services: annual physical exams, family planning, pediatric care, teen clinic services, cancer screening, chronic disease screening and treatment, STD care, HIV/AIDS screening and treatment, prostate exams, nutrition health education, and sports physicals for the teens. T.H.E. Clinic is one of the few non-profit health care clinics in Southwest Los Angeles, serving part of a dense urban area of over one million people, almost one-third of whom are uninsured. The health care model T.H.E. Clinic practices is designed to serve the whole person, not just symptoms or problems. Here at T.H.E. Clinic, we are “healing the body and raising the spirit.” For more information about T.H.E. Clinic go to www.theclinicincinc.org

UCLA Center for Community Partnerships

The Center for Community Partnerships (CCP) is the portal for UCLA’s civic and community engagement in Los Angeles. Historically committed to being an engaged, active and valued partner in the greater Los Angeles region, UCLA’s faculty, staff and students have collaborated with a wide range of communities on issues of mutual importance. In 2002, these activities were harnessed in the UCLA in LA initiative. As the operational arm of UCLA in LA, CCP promotes engaged scholarship, partnering UCLA with the community to develop knowledge from research and teaching that improves the quality of life in Los Angeles. For more information about CCP go to http://la.ucla.edu/

UCLA Semel Institute Center for Health Services and Society

The UCLA Semel Institute is organized into centers that promote development of research in programmatic areas that cross divisions and departments. One of these is the Center for Health Services and Society Research Center (HSS) under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Wells. HSS is multidisciplinary and spans divisions and departments within the Semel Institute, as well as other UCLA Schools and Programs, the VA, and RAND. HSS features a core NIMH-funded mental health services research center, health services research training programs, multiple individual projects, and co-hosts the Neuroscience History Archives. The Center has been particularly active in developing new programs and research on depression, schizophrenia, community violence, and attention deficit disorder, as well as on the broader problem of behavioral health disparities. The HSS seeks to improve health policy formulation, health care delivery, and quality of life for persons with psychiatric disorders by integrating a core clinical approach with policy perspectives on changes in legislations, markets, financing, and organization of healthcare delivery systems. A recent emphasis for Center work is on partnered, participatory research and program development, in which community members and agency representatives are full co-leads in all stages of research development, implementation, and dissemination. The Center hopes to use this approach to provide leadership for science that serves, for science-informed services, and for community-academic partnerships that can create change to benefit mental health of communities. For more information about UCLA HSS go to http://hss.semel.ucla.edu

University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the USC Keck School of Medicine is strongly committed to expanding its program in mental health services research. The department has close ties to the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health (LAC DMH) and Health Services (LAC DHS). They provide comprehensive mental health care services to the culturally diverse residents of East Los Angeles, the majority of whom are Latino. Departmental research interests include psychiatric genomics, neuropsychiatric disorders, psychopharmacology, forensics, and social and community psychiatry. Multi-disciplinary research activities with other departments at the medical school and the university are encouraged. For more information about USC Keck School of Medicine go to www.usc.edu/schools/medicine/