Yearlong Community Clinic Initiative, "Managing to Leading," Kicks Off at Cedars-Sinai
Twenty-eight Clinic Partners Join Training Program, Part of a Community Clinic Initiative to Strengthen Los Angeles' Healthcare Safety Net
Contact: Soshea Leibler | Email: soshea.leibler@cshs.org
Los Angeles - Feb. 16, 2016 – Cedars-Sinai is sponsoring an intensive leadership development program for local community clinic managers, hoping to prepare a pipeline of leaders well-equipped to guide their organizations through a challenging new healthcare landscape.
The 28 participants in the "Managing to Leading" program will create and execute high-value organizational projects designed to improve their clinics' effectiveness in improving the health of the community.
Cedars-Sinai selected the Healthforce Center at University of California, San Francisco to conduct the program's kickoff, starting Feb. 17 with a three-day seminar to be held at Cedars-Sinai. Over the next year, the community clinic participants will learn about leading in a time of change, get an in-depth look at the needs of Los Angeles' healthcare safety net, and focus on related topics in healthcare.
"Community health centers face unprecedented challenges while serving more people than ever before," said Sunita Mutha MD, director of the Healthforce Center. "Programs like "Managing to Leading" serve as healthcare leadership accelerators. Time and again, we've seen that strong leaders create healthy communities."
Erin Lanahan, associate director of Cedars-Sinai Community Benefit Giving Office, said, "We can help make a difference by bringing community clinic leaders together and providing this type of resource to further strengthen the safety net in Los Angeles."
Managing to Leading is one of three projects funded by $1.9 million in initial grants from the Cedars-Sinai Community Clinic Initiative: Strengthening LA's Safety Net. The programs are available to clinics in areas covered by Cedars-Sinai's community health needs assessment.
In selecting partners to run community clinic programs, Cedars-Sinai sought experts with deep knowledge about working with clinics and a track record of creating meaningful change.
The two other programs funded by Cedars-Sinai Community Clinic Initiative are:
- The Quality Improvement Team Project — This yearlong program, run by the Institute for High Quality Care, will help nine clinic teams develop and implement major quality improvement projects.
- Advancing the Financial Strength of LA's Clinics — This benchmarking and financial training program is offered in partnership with the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County and Capital Link, a national nonprofit helping community clinics plan capital projects and improve performance. In addition to Cedars-Sinai, the program's other funders are L.A. Care Health Plan and the Blue Shield of California Foundation.
In announcing the initiative recently, Jonathan Schreiber, director of Community Engagement at Cedars-Sinai, referred back to the hospital's roots in 1902 as a 12-bed facility in Angelino Heights offering free service for all.
"It served a new immigrant community, and its intent was to always be open to everyone," Schreiber said. "These roots are part of the fabric of our institution."
Schreiber noted that more than 1.4 million Angelinos are currently cared for at community clinics, and that Cedars-Sinai is committed to improving access to care for those who cannot afford it.
"We believe we can make a difference by providing resources and opportunities to build capacity in these clinics and strengthen LA's healthcare safety net with this community clinic initiative," he said.