Policy & Advocacy

Challenge

A patchwork of government policies and programs enable schools to provide free health services to students in communities with low healthcare access. While much progress has been made to strengthen and expand student health access, longstanding barriers persist. We believe that is because school-based systems of care are fragmented, underfunded, and not sufficiently student driven. As a result, young students across L.A. County have disparate and inconsistent access to well-being supports that contribute to their lifelong success.

Solution

We engage in collaborative and data-driven policy advocacy to remove barriers that stand between students' support for their well-being. Our work is guided by five policy priorities.

1.     Optimize school-based healthcare

2.     Build capacity for data-driven decision making and systems integration

3.     Promote healing-centered school environments

4.     Support youth advocacy and leadership for health equity

5.     Increase funding to advance children’s health equity

We seek systems change that addresses the root cause of inequities in healthcare. This requires close partnership with students and a diverse network of school administrators, providers, community-based organizations, and local and state agency leaders. The L.A. Trust convenes multiple collaboratives for this purpose. 

The L.A. Trust School Health Policy Roundtable
A cross-sector collaborative of over 30 organizations whose mission is to advance policy solutions that help schools in LA County unlock students’ full potential by building integrated, youth-centered systems of support for whole child, school, and community wellbeing.

Youth Mental Health Collaborative
Representatives from public health, L.A. Unified, mental health providers and community organizations come together to find common solutions to the silent epidemic of mental illness. The Youth Mental Health Collaborative has two objectives — to improve student mental health access and services, and to incorporate youth voice into improving the system.

Oral Health Advisory Board
The L.A. Trust Oral Health Advisory Board includes dental providers, county public health staff, representatives from UCLA and USC dental programs, children’s health advocates, school administrators, nurses, hygienists, policy makers and CHW promotora administrators. Established in 2013, OHAB meets quarterly to exchange best practices and drive development of our comprehensive Oral Health Initiative based on a comprehensive public health approach.