QP C

Commission Special Winners
Performance Measurement Award
“Coordinated Services Action Teams”
Department of Children and Family Services with Department
of Mental Health
The Coordinated Services Action Teams (Teams)
are regionally based clinical management
teams established to help Children’s Social
Workers (CSWs) identify families’ strengths and needs,
and match those with available community based
services. The Teams work with CSWs to coordinate
different types of assistance for families with a goal of
reducing service duplication.
Implementation of the partnership between
Department of Children and Family Services and the
Department of Mental Health began in May 2009. The
mental health screening process, a key part of the
program, was redesigned in October 2010. It identifies
whether children need mental health services, as well
as the levels of need. The program was implemented
countywide in September 2011. This program has
resulted in a large number of foster children receiving
mental health services.
CSWs receive support from clinical management
teams to navigate the complexities of child welfare,
health, mental health, education, the regional center,
and social services agencies. They also manage
access to services. The Teams are trained and have
experience to provide office-based expertise to speed
up and ensure service linkage.
Personal Best Award
“Chagas Disease: First Center of Excellence”
Department of Health Services/Olive View-UCLA
Sheba Meymandi, MD
Chagas Disease (Chagas) is a deadly parasitic
illness that has long been the leading cause
of heart failure in Latin America and is now
increasingly recognized among immigrant communities
in the United States. The CDC estimates that there are
over 300,000 cases in the United States, but very few
cases are diagnosed and even less are treated.
patients. Her efforts, driven by her passion, and funded
by non-County funds, have led to a fully integrated
Center including testing, diagnosis, treatment, education
and research. She has collaborated with numerous
organizations and academic institution to truly champion
this disease and the patients it affects. Both the treatment
and raising awareness are not easy. It is Dr. Meymandi’s
goal to educate the community about this disease and
to promote early detection and treatment to prevent the
development of heart failure and early death.
There are many barriers to diagnosis and treatment,
including lack of awareness among healthcare providers
and lack of access to care among the affected individuals.
In response, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center opened
the first and only “Center of Excellence for Chagas” in
the United States devoted to studying and treating the
disease.
Sheba Meymandi, MD, a cardiologist at Olive View,
spearheaded the program to provide care for Chagas
Quality and Productivity Annual Report 2012
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