Archive for category: News

The Oasis Recuperative Care Program for Homeless Women in Skid Row

Seeking to make a difference in the lives of skid row’s most vulnerable population, women.

We acknowledge and thank our team at the new San Julian Oasis Program, Edenia Jones, Program Director and Abbye Williams, Program Director of the ESP along with Blanca Almeida, MD and all the support staff.  Programs such as this demonstrate the heart and soul of Wesley Health Centers and how important all our services are across the organization.

Al Ballesteros, MBA

President and Chief Executive Officer

read the full article on LAtimes.com

Our New Location is Now Open: Recuperative Care Program – San Julian Oasis

628 South San Julian Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

JWCH Institute, Inc., and our Wesley Health Centers are not-for-profit health centers. We understand that many of our patients have limited means to pay for medical care. Therefore, we have developed a Sliding Fee Scale Discount Program to determine the appropriate fee to charge patients depending on their ability to pay. Qualifying patients are based on income and family size, no other factors.

No one will be denied services due to inability to pay.

JWCH Institute, Inc., and our Wesley Health Centers provide a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below 100% of the Federal poverty guidelines. Individuals with incomes between 101% and 200% of poverty are charged fees in accordance with our Sliding Fee Discount Scale which is based on family size and income. These fee discounts apply to all JWCH Institute and our Wesley Health Centers Programs and Services.

For additional information regarding the Sliding Fee Discount Program, please see any of our front office staff for assistance.

N E W S   R E L E A S E

Testing to inform national research to assess the impact of COVID-19 on racial minorities and underserved communities across the country

Woodland Hills, CA (Feb. 22, 2021) – Health Net has selected Wesley Health Centers, also known as JWCH Institute, to participate in a national research study to understand the impact of COVID-19 on racial minorities and underserved communities.

In partnership with Health Net, Wesley Health Centers is offering COVID-19 screenings at no cost to patients to confirm rates of current and previous COVID-19 infections. Community members in the Wesley Health Centers area can call a patient navigator at (866) 733-5924 to schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 PCR test (to confirm current COVID-19 infection) and antibody testing (to confirm previous COVID-19 infection) at no cost.

Testing is available at the following locations.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by a medical provider from their test site. They will also receive monitoring kits and a daily call from a study nurse for the first 14 days to provide medical advice and help monitor any progression of symptoms. Participants will also receive once-per-week follow up calls for one month and check-ins throughout the five-year study.

Communities of Color Disproportionately Impacted by COVID-19 in California

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that race and ethnicity are risk markers for underlying conditions that impact health including socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, and increased exposure to the virus due to occupation (e.g., frontline, essential, and critical infrastructure workers). Further, previous research has shown that Black and Hispanic Americans as well as American Indians/Alaska Natives are twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 as white Americans.

“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on California, particularly our communities of color,” said Brian Ternan, President and CEO of Health Net of California and California Health and Wellness. “As part of our mission to transform the health of our communities one person at a time, together with Wesley Health Centers, we hope to increase access to COVID-19 testing and provide important data and evidence-based solutions to improve health disparities.”

“We need to fully understand how various social determinants of health place our communities at increased risk of infection and poorer health outcomes,” said Al Ballesteros, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wesley Health Centers. “Our mission is to provide access to services, which improve the health status of individuals and families, including people experiencing financial, social, and cultural barriers to healthcare.”

“Longitudinal studies of the health of survivors are going to give us vital information about this disease and the disparities that it exposes. I know the citizens of Los Angeles are eager to step up and share their experience over the next five years as their contribution to what we will know about COVID, and we’re proud to serve alongside them,” said Dr. Alex Chen, Chief Medical Officer at Health Net.

Quest Diagnostics will provide COVID-19 molecular diagnostic testing.

“COVID-19 testing is critically needed in underserved communities, and we’re pleased to team up with Wesley Health Centers and Health Net to provide testing in areas where it is needed most,” said Ron Coursey, Vice President of Federally Qualified Health Centers and Public Health of Quest Diagnostics.

A National Initiative to Raise Awareness, Address Health Disparities

The testing initiative is part of a broader research study by Health Net’s parent company Centene, a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise, and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), an independent research and educational organization dedicated to ensuring high-risk racial and ethnic populations receive optimal healthcare. Together, the organizations will analyze testing data to assess the impact of COVID-19 on minorities and underserved populations in California and across the country.

Once testing is complete, Centene and NMQF have convened a team of researchers to analyze and translate survey data, and, based on the findings, provide valuable data and evidence-based solutions to inform the public health response and help reduce healthcare disparities among underserved populations.

About Wesley Health Centers (JWCH Institute, Inc.)

Wesley Health Centers (JWCH Institute, Inc.) is a 501 (c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center established in 1960. Wesley is the largest provider of homeless health care in California and our mission is to “improve the health status and well-being of under-served segments of the population of Los Angeles County through the direct provision or coordination of health care, health education, services, and research”. We currently operate 35 sites, which include primary care clinics, dental clinics, school-based sites, mental health and substance use treatment sites, homeless health care, and mobile units to provide quality and integrated care to low-income and homeless residents throughout LA County.

About Health Net

At Health Net, we believe every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income, employment status or current state of health. Founded 40 years ago, we remain dedicated to transforming the health of our community, one person at a time. Today, Health Net’s 3,000 employees and 85,000 network providers serve more than 3 million members. That’s nearly 1 in 12 Californians. We provide health plans for individuals, families, businesses of every size, people with Medicare and people with Medi-Cal — Coverage for Every Stage of LifeTM. Health Net also offers access to substance abuse programs, behavioral health services, employee assistance programs and managed health care products related to prescription drugs. We offer these health plans and services through Health Net, LLC and its subsidiaries: Health Net of California, Inc., Health Net Life Insurance Company and Health Net Community Solutions, Inc. These entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a Fortune 50 company providing health coverage to more than 25 million Americans. For more information, visit HealthNet.com.

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About the COVID-19 Testing Initiative & Minority and Rural Health Coronavirus Study (MRCS)

There is an urgent need to raise awareness about how COVID-19 has disproportionately affected racial minorities and other vulnerable populations.
At Wesley we are partnering with Centene and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) on a national COVID-19 testing and research study.
Our hope is to increase access and testing, so we can better understand the impact of COVID-19 on racial minorities and underserved communities across the country.
We want to encourage everyone to get tested to protect their health and the health of their family.
We need everyone to participate in this study to help improve the long-term health of our community.

By participating in this study, we can help:
Spur further testing;
Better understand the impact of the virus on racial minorities; and
Inform the public health response to help address health disparities.

Study Details & Locations
Testing will be available at no cost to you on a first come, first served basis at the following location(s):
Wesley Health Centers – Lynwood located at 3591 Imperial Highway, Lynwood, CA 90262
Monday – Friday 8am – 2pm

Wesley Health Centers – Lancaster located at 45104 10th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
Monday – Friday 8am – 2pm

Wesley Health Centers – Bell Shelter located at 5600 Rickenbacker Road, Bell CA, 90201
Monday – Friday 8am – 12pm

Health staff from Wesley will administer the tests and will be equipped with appropriate PPE. All participants will be expected to adhere to local rules regarding social distancing and disease prevention.
We will offer COVID-19 screenings to confirm rates of current and previous COVID-19 infections via PCR and antibody tests, respectively.
Study participants must be 18 years or older.
Participation is voluntary.
Through the study, we will collect nasal/nasopharyngeal swab and blood sample specimens to use for COVID-19 testing [Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and antibody] and future genetic, biological and biomarker analysis.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by a medical provider from their test site. They will also receive monitoring kits and a daily call from a study nurse for the first 14 days to provide medical advice and help monitor any progression of symptoms.

Participants will also receive once-per-week follow-up calls for one month and check-ins over the course of the five-year study.
Up to 10,000 people may be enrolled in this study.
Once testing is complete, Centene and NMQF have convened a research team to analyze and translate survey data.
Based on their findings, they will provide solutions to inform the public health response.
Their research will be released in the coming months.