VENICE, CA – A pilot project launched by UCLA Health System will provide low-income patients at Venice Family Clinic in California with better access to hospitalization or specialized medical care.

The pilot project is being funded by a three-year, $300,000 grant from Pasadena, Calif.-based public benefit corporation OneWest Foundation, which will be matched by the UCLA Health System.

Officials said the project's goal is to help patients seen at Venice Family Clinic's new Colen Family Health Center in Mar Vista who do not have private insurance or qualify for Medi-Cal or Medicare coverage, and who require specialty care and hospitalization, to secure ongoing treatment at the UCLA Health System. The Colen Family Health Center will open in March 2010 and will serve 4,000 people annually. Roughly 74 percent of the Colen Family Health Center's patients are expected to meet the criteria for this initiative.

"Currently, there is a fragmented system in place to ensure access to specialty and inpatient care for low-income patients seen at Venice Family Clinic," said David Feinberg, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System and associate vice chancellor. "As a result, complex medical conditions are often only partially diagnosed, and interventional care is frequently delayed until it becomes critical or life-threatening. Patients end up in the Los Angeles County health system, where medical resources and the expertise to deal with the underlying causes are in very limited supply, or they are treated in the emergency room, which is the most expensive form of healthcare.

"This pilot project's goal is to provide integrated primary care, specialty care and tertiary care at the right time and in the right medical setting - and to make a true difference in people's lives," Feinberg added.

Officials said UCLA and Venice Family Clinic will assess the impact of the program annually, and at the conclusion of the initial three-year period, UCLA and the clinic will explore the viability of pursuing a more permanent solution.

"The health systems that work best are those that are integrated and located in the community where patients live," said Liz Forer, CEO of Venice Family Clinic. "This collaboration between Venice Family Clinic and the UCLA Health System will expand the options available to our patients, reduce health care treatment costs and improve health outcomes."