Rooted in Community
Founded in 1969 by a Chicano Social Justice organization known as the Brown Berets, AltaMed Health Services was initially known as the East LA Barrio Free Clinic, a community-focused health provider. From its inception, the organization envisioned a community in which affordable healthcare was abundant and a place where residents could access services in their native language. Over the years, the organization has expanded significantly, becoming the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center. Their services include the full continuum of care including pediatrics, complete primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, senior services with PACE programs, dental care, youth services, and HIV services.
Beyond offering a wide range of health services, AltaMed has also championed efforts to enhance the economic, political, and social conditions for Latinos and other communities of color in California over the last six years. Its formal initiatives include defending the Affordable Care Act, boosting healthcare funding, advancing workforce development, running non-partisan Get Out the Vote campaigns, and promoting Census 2020 awareness.
My Vote. My Health.™ Campaign
This year, with funding from the California Community Foundation provided through the SELA Collaborative, AltaMed is working to increase civic competency surrounding health and quality of life. In collaboration with the Council of Mexican Federations of North America (COFEM) and Fourth Street Bridge Strategies (FSBS) Altamed has launched a robust 5 day a week canvassing program. In addition to regular canvassing efforts, the healthcare provider has also implemented “White Coats for Change”, an initiative aimed at empowering healthcare providers to actively engage in civic activities and drive systemic change through door-to-door education. These community outreach efforts are a part of AltaMed’s larger My Vote. My Health. Campaign™ that strives to inform residents of the interconnected nature of healthcare and civic engagement.
This work functions to broaden the understanding that healthcare delivery only accounts for approximately 10–20% of the factors affecting an individual’s health, well-being, and longevity. The other 80–90% are referred to as social determinants of health, the conditions in which people live and grow, outlined in the graphic below. Door-to-door efforts present an opportunity for residents to discuss issues of air quality and other environmental hazards ensuring residents have a holistic view of wellness beyond the basic healthcare questions.in
The impact of Altamed’s voter engagement work has been far reaching, both in the SELA region and across the state of California. In 2018, AltaMed contacted more than 200,000 voters across the state of California and and estimates that they increased voter turnout by up to 400% statewide. Leading up to the 2024 primaries, canvassers contacted about 9,000 residents in the Southeast. As shown in the visualization below, since 2018, voter registration rates in SELA have steadily increased by seven percentage points compared to three percentage points countywide. Despite this increase, registration rates remain lower than the county average.
A Passion for Healthcare Advocacy
With a focus on promoting healthy communities, AltaMed has become a leading healthcare organization in Southeast Los Angeles and Southern California. Despite its rapid growth over the years, AltaMed remains committed to its core values of wellness, community, and integrity. Their community-centered approach has significantly enhanced access to social services, education, and awareness of our shared rights and responsibilities. AltaMed is a vital partner to the SELA Collaborative, dedicated to fostering a bright, healthy, and equitable future.
The Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) Collaborative is a network of organizations working together to strengthen the capacity of the nonprofit sector and increase civic engagement in Southeast LA. Founded in 2011 by eleven core organizations, the Collaborative seeks to revitalize the communities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Florence-Firestone, Huntington Park, Lynwood, Maywood, South Gate, Vernon, and Walnut Park.
These grantee vignettes highlight the work and impact of individual Collaborative members, each of whom have a long history of serving and advocating in partnership with residents of Southeast Los Angeles. Read more about the SELA region here.
Author
Emily Phillips
Emily (she/her) is the Project Specialist at Neighborhood Data for Social Change. Emily received her Master in Public Policy with a specialization in advocacy communications from the USC Price School in the Spring of 2024. Prior to relocating to Southern California, Emily grew up in Phoenix and then obtained her BA in Political Science and Global Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Her main focus incudes policy advocacy across a variety of policy areas including housing, health, and racial justice. She is passionate about community engagement and social impact.
Other contributors include: Caroline Ghanbary & Rediet Retta
Sources
Activists for Healthcare. AltaMed Foundation. (n.d.). https://altamedfoundation.org/activists-for-healthcare/
AltaMed Foundation. (n.d.). Your Health is On The Ballot!. My Vote My Health. https://www.myvotemyhealth.org/
World Health Organization. (2003, January 1). Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/326568
