M. Ricardo Calderón, MD, MPH, Metropolitan Service Planning Area, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, 241 North Figueroa St., Suite 312, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-240-8043, mrcalderon@dhs.co.la.ca.us

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) restructured Public Health Services in 1998/99 through the implementation of 8 Service Planning Area Health Offices. These offices assumed the responsibility to: (1) improve the health status of the population, (2) better serve county residents, (3) revitalize the public health system, and (4) move toward more cost-effective services. Since the health status of a population cannot be improved by medical and public health interventions alone, and in view of projected budget deficits and reductions in the workforce, the Metropolitan and San Gabriel Service Planning Area Health Office conceptualized and piloted a Community Liaising Program. This program sought to redirect DHS resources and utilize community resources and assets to create a network of alliances and cooperative agreements in order to expand, strengthen and diversify public, private, and non-profit health programs. Based on 6 Strategic Components (Community Networking, Community Mobilization, Strategic Partnering, Private Sector Leveraging, Resource Development, and Policy Development), this unique and unprecedented program has changed informal community relations into effective partnerships and implemented 32 new, low cost/no-cost initiatives since Summer 2001 addressing unmet health and social needs. As a result, status quo approaches inherent in large bureacracies are changing into effective value-added public health interventions that are moving public health into the 21st century. Realizing the vision of healthy people in healthy communities is possible only if all sectors of society are mobilized to engage as authentic partners in changing the conditions for health.

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