REP LIEU SECURES NEARLY $11 MILLION FOR LOCAL PROJECTS, INCLUDING OVER $4.8 MILLION FOR PROJECTS IN WEST LA

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) announced that he secured over $4.8 million for five community funding projects in West Los Angeles in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package signed into law by President Biden.

The funding will enhance the delivery of virtual education at Cedars-Sinai; provide resources for the UCLA Mobile Healthcare Program; help renovate Arnold Avenue on the West Los Angeles VA Campus; create opportunities for urban cooling and pedestrian improvements in the City of LA; and create a pilot program at the LA City Mayor's Office of City Homelessness Initiatives to improve crisis and incident response for people experiencing a mental health crisis and/or homelessness.

"Each of these community projects aims to make our community a better place – and I'm pleased to have secured funding for each of them in the FY 2022 government funding package signed into law by President Biden. These resources will make a meaningful difference in the lives of my constituents. I will continue to fight for our district to ensure that we get the federal funding we need to make our community stronger."

For West Los Angeles Communities, Rep. Lieu secured:

• $1 million for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Cedars-Sinai is a regional referral center for patients in areas such as cancer care, transplant, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and cardiology. This funding will allow Cedars-Sinai to purchase simulation equipment upgrades to expand the Simulation Center at Cedars-Sinai main campus. There is an increasing need to be able manage patients closer to their home both before and after treatment. This funding will allow Cedars-Sinai to improve patient outcomes by providing advanced training to medical professionals who will be able to treat patients with complex medical issues closer to the patient's home without the patient having to travel. There is a well-established correlation between patient outcomes and their proximity to their support network before and after treatment. Once properly validated Cedars Sinai will be able to bring the enormous breadth of the main campus's expertise to other facilities.
  
• $1.5 million for the City of LA's Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) Pilot Program. The pilot's target will be non-emergency calls to 911 involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis and/or homelessness. CIRCLE calls will come to the LAPD's 911 system or the police non-emergency number. LAPD dispatchers will be trained to recognize non-violent situations with a behavioral health and/or homelessness component, and route those calls to CIRCLE. A team will respond, assess the situation, and provide immediate stabilization in cases of urgent medical need or psychological crisis. These response teams will be equipped with one outreach worker, a licensed behavioral health clinician, and a community ambassador. They will also provide assessment, information, referral, advocacy and, when warranted, transportation to the next step in treatment.
  
• $1 million for the City of LA's Cool Neighborhood Project – Fairfax District. This funding will support the Neighborhood Cooling Project, which will include cool pavement coating, street trees in empty parkways, new tree wells, tree maintenance, access ramps, and sidewalk repair. This project provides opportunities for urban cooling, urban greening, pedestrian improvements and improved public health.
  
• $600,000 for UCLA's Mobile Healthcare Program. The UCLA Mobile Healthcare Program is designed to provide preventative care to the most vulnerable patients: unhoused veterans and others experiencing homelessness, the uninsured and the undocumented. UCLA will bring medical and behavioral health care to these vulnerable communities by partnering with agencies and organizations to treat patients in novel settings, like homeless encampments. Treating patients before their conditions require a trip to the emergency room not only leads to better health outcomes, but it is also cost-effective for the Medicare and Medicaid programs because emergency department care is much more costly than providing care in almost any other care setting.
  
• $749,650 for US Vets's Arnold Avenue Rehabilitation Project at the West Los Angeles VA. This funding will help renovate Arnold Ave on the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Campus. When complete, the dilapidated road will be transformed into a pedestrian friendly space that supports wellness and community integration for the residents of Buildings 206, 207, and 300, which are in the process of being converted into permanent supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. This project is a part of a larger "transportation backbone" plan, that will improve the accessibility of the entire north campus pursuant to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Draft Master Plan.

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