Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) profoundly impacts people with the condition, their families, and our society as a whole. In response to this public health challenge, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s (DPH’s) Los Angeles County BOLD Initiative, 2023-2028 (LA BOLD) aims to build local public health capacity by developing and implementing a countywide strategic plan that prioritizes brain health and dementia. As part of this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded effort, LA BOLD is tasked with strengthening health system capacity and fostering connections between community and clinical sectors to improve care and support for populations impacted by ADRD, especially hard-to-reach populations such as Asian and Pacific Islanders. Research has shown that some Asian-American subgroups have a higher risk of developing dementia than Whites. Furthermore, strong cultural stigma among certain Asian subgroups may deter individuals from seeking information or diagnosis until late-stage disease. To help address these challenges, the LA BOLD team intends to collaborate with a local Federally Qualified Health Center who will develop and implement a pilot project that seeks to optimize dementia screening practices and develop a referral protocol to ensure patients with dementia and their families have access to resources in the community, with a special emphasis on targeting Asian subgroups. The implementation of this pilot project directly supports the countywide dementia strategic plan by improving early detection of dementia and enhancing the quality of life for people with dementia and their families. Please note: this pilot project is not intended to support delivery of direct clinical services/patient care. In this Work Order (Scope of Work), DPH seeks a vendor with the expertise and capacity to: a) Develop a quality improvement pilot project that supports the optimization of dementia screening practices and referral pathways to community resources; strategies employed may include – workflow development, integration of validated dementia screening tools into the electronic health record systems, development and implementation of care team training, and data collection for project monitoring and quality improvement; b) Oversee pilot implementation; c) Develop a written summary report of the pilot project, including a description of implementation, lessons learned, and results; and d) Present findings a virtual meeting of LA BOLD’s Healthy Brain LA Coalition.
