Enhanced Health Services Provisioned by San Diego Academic Health Partnership Continues During COVID-19 and Beyond
In a groundbreaking move, the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) joined forces in 2022 to strengthen the public health academy and practical public health services in San Diego County. This unique partnership, named the Live Well Center for Innovation & Leadership (LWCIL), serves a population of 3.3 million residents and is staffed by over 8,200 employees from HHSA.
The collaboration, inspired by successful collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to strengthen education, research, workforce development, and service in the region. The partnership formalised with a public signing of a five-year memorandum of agreement (MOA) in October 2022.
The LWCIL has made significant strides since its inception. An additional MOA, specifically addressing joint research and data sharing, was signed in December 2024. The center co-created and recently adopted a joint, multi-year Strategic Roadmap to guide the next three years of the partnership's development. This roadmap is organised around four high-impact priority areas: People Success, Research & Data Excellence, Service to Community, and Leadership & Sustainability.
Subcommittees for each priority area have launched and created action plans tied to advancing the Strategic Roadmap. The partnership between HHSA and SDSU has also led to the formation of an Academic Health and Human Services Department, further solidifying their commitment to the region.
During the pandemic, the partnership enabled nursing students to complete clinical hours required for graduation, even when they were restricted from other clinical sites. Moreover, SDSU and HHSA partnered to train and deploy nursing faculty, students, and recent graduates to administer vaccines at community sites in underserved areas of the county.
The partnership also extended to recruitment, training, and support for 40 community health workers known as Promotoras for outreach and support during the pandemic. These Promotoras identified areas of need, such as food and services, in high-risk communities and helped people get appointments at county vaccination sites.
The partnership's success is underpinned by a Steering Committee including representatives from the highest-level leadership for each organisation. The director of LWCIL is a "boundary spanning" position, co-funded by SDSU and HHSA. Additional staff support has also been provided, including two HHSA Management Fellows engaged in a year-long program.
An addendum supporting agency-wide student field experiences is currently underway, further cementing the commitment of both organisations to the development of the region's workforce. The partnership between HHSA and SDSU represents a first-of-its-kind initiative in San Diego County, setting a new standard for collaboration and innovation in public health services.
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