141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

279165
A look at healthy way la: Using GIS mapping to determine physical barriers to access of integrated behavioral services

Monday, November 4, 2013

Stephanie Chen, MPH , Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Healthy Way LA (HWLA) marks the first large-scale collaborative effort by Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Health Services (DHS) to provide the continuum of physical and mental health services to medically underserved and underrepresented persons in Los Angeles County. For the first time, federal mandates require the full integration of health care and mental health care services in Los Angeles County. This Geographic Informational Services (GIS) project includes nine maps that illustrate the potential environmental and physical barriers that may negatively impact service access for its HWLA consumers. In general, a correlation was found between the location of HWLA service providers and access to care. Although bus and rail routes do not efficiently reach HWLA providers, HWLA providers within SPA 4 are geographically accessible to HWLA clients who rely on public transportation. Within SPA 4, HWLA clients who drive to a DMH clinic from a DHS clinic generally need to travel between 5 and 10 minutes. Within SPA 4, most DHS clinics fall within close geographic proximity to a partnered DMH facility. Depicting the distance between providers, common modes of transportation, and the location of the target Medicaid-eligible population offer a visual representation of data to better evaluate relationships between providers, consumers, and their environment. This information is valuable for policy experts and providers in evaluating for unintended consequences and reducing physical barriers to integrated care, to ensure efficient provision of health and mental health services for our locally underrepresented and unhealthy populations.

Learning Areas:
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate if physical proximity of Healthy Way LA (HWLA) providers (County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health (DMH) and County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services (DHS) providers) is correlated with improved access to services for its Medicaid-eligible population within Los Angeles County. Differentiate between bus and rail routes do not efficiently Los Angeles County or providers. Identify specific SPAs that are geographically accessible to HWLA clients who rely on public transportation. Calculate average driving times and compare driving routes between DHS and DMH clinics with SPA 4. Assess whether DMH facilities are evenly distributed throughout Los Angeles County per SPA location. Compare physical locations of the different types and operations of services offered by DMH.

Keywords: Mental Health Services, Medicare/Medicaid

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have utilized my newly acquired knowledge of GIS in order to demonstrate ability to evaluate the effectiveness of program availability for a large-scale integrated program that comes behavioral and physical health services. My research experience and graduate studies in mental health services and the public health approach make me qualified to deliver this information in an educational and proactive manner.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.