Karen Bass To Join Achievable Foundation's Summer Speaker Program

 

Congresswoman Karen Bass

The Achievable Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and adults with intellectual / developmental disabilities (I/DD) in L.A. County through specialized support and healthcare services, will host a Summer Speaker program featuring Congresswoman Karen Bass and Dr. Clarissa Kripke, UC San Francisco Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine, on Wednesday, June 29, 6 pm.

The event will take place at The Achievable Health Center, 5901 Green Valley Circle, Culver City. Invited guests include healthcare providers, local elected officials and businesses, and advocates, as well as patients and their families.

Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) will tour the facility, which is co-located with one of the state's 21 regional centers and is a model for community health centers focusing on individuals with I/DD.

Dr. Kripke will speak about the latest in the field of health care for this population, especially the role centers like Achievable can play to support individuals with I/DD as the state continues its move toward community living for the population.

Congresswoman Bass, a longtime champion of quality healthcare for the underserved, notes "Too often the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are overlooked in traditional health care settings. I appreciate that the Achievable Health Center works to treat the 'entire patient,' not just the disability, and I look forward to learning more about this innovative facility, and model for care, located in my district."

Individuals with I/DD and their families often experience higher rates of poverty than the broader population. This is due to a variety of factors including lower levels of employment, higher rates of unemployment, and vastly higher healthcare costs. Children and adults with I/DD also experience disproportionately higher incidence of chronic health conditions ranging from obesity and depression to seizures and untreated hearing and vision problems.

The Achievable Heath Center offers primary care through a patient-centered "medical home" model, including a wide variety of preventative screenings, mental health and specialty care, all in one location. The need to have comprehensive and coordinated medical services centrally located, that meet the total healthcare needs of this population, is vital to ensuring a higher quality of life for children and adults with I/DD.

For more information visit: http://www.achievable.org.

 

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