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Los Angeles

With its headquarters campus in Santa Monica, the Los Angeles area is understandably the focal point of significant RAND interest. Research on Los Angeles and its surrounding communities spans a wide analytical range, from policing, airport and harbor security, and traffic congestion to education, child care, health, and demographic issues.

Essay

Supportive Housing Reduces Homelessness—and Lowers Health Care Costs by Millions

Los Angeles County has moved some of its most chronically homeless and vulnerable residents into permanent housing. Providing them with social services and health care has dramatically reduced their use of emergency rooms and other services, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Jun 27, 2018
Commentary

Why Children Need to Be Shielded from Marijuana Ads

By design, advertising is aimed at persuading us to want something. In the case of marijuana, that something is definitely not good for teenagers.

Jun 18, 2018
Commentary

Advertising and Teens in the Era of the 'Blackout Brownie'

Exposure to marijuana advertising may play a significant role in shaping teen attitudes about the drug, and contribute to increased marijuana use and related negative consequences throughout adolescence. Restrictions on marijuana advertising similar to those on alcohol and tobacco would likely help limit its exposure to teens.

May 31, 2018
News Release

Adolescents Who View More Medical Marijuana Advertising Are More Likely to Use Marijuana, Have Positive Views About the Drug

Adolescents who view more advertising for medical marijuana are more likely to use marijuana, express intentions to use the drug, and have more-positive expectations about the substance. An increasing amount of advertising about marijuana may prompt young people to increase their use of the drug.

May 17, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Evaluating Community Partnerships Addressing Community Resilience in Los Angeles, California

This study measured a key characteristic of community resilience: the growth of organizational networks and partnerships over time. Information from this research may be useful to local health departments interested in applying a community resilience framework to disaster preparedness.

May 4, 2018
News Release

News Release

Evaluation of Mental Health Service Act in L.A. County Shows Services Reaching Those in Need

Funding from California's special tax for mental health services has allowed Los Angeles County to reach the seriously mentally ill and those at risk for mental illness with services and prevention efforts, lowering both homelessness and the need for psychiatric hospitalizations, while improving employment and wellbeing.

Mar 13, 2018
Research Brief

The Mental Health Services Act in Los Angeles County: Evaluating Program Reach and Outcomes

RAND researchers examined the geographic and demographic reach of Mental Health Services Act-funded activities in Los Angeles County and assessed their impact on clients.

Mar 13, 2018
Report

Evaluation of Mental Health Service Act in L.A. County Shows Services Reaching Those in Need

Funding from California's special tax for mental health services has allowed Los Angeles County to help people with serious mental illness and those at risk. These efforts have lowered homelessness and the need for psychiatric hospitalizations, while improving employment and well-being.

Mar 13, 2018
Commentary

Los Angeles Tackles Homelessness with an Innovative Housing Program That Saves Money

Los Angeles County's Housing for Health program addresses an important public health issue by providing housing and supportive services to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The program also saves taxpayers money.

Jan 18, 2018
Research Brief

Housing for Health: Reducing Homelessness in Los Angeles

Housing for Health, a division of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, launched a permanent housing program for people experiencing homelessness. For every $1 invested in the program, the county saved $1.20 in reduced health care and social service costs.

Dec 27, 2017
News Release

News Release

Supportive Housing for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Los Angeles Saves Money During First Year

A public-private effort to provide permanent supportive housing to people in Los Angeles County with complex medical and behavioral health issues who were experiencing homelessness caused a significant drop in their use of public services, resulting in an overall savings to local government.

Dec 5, 2017
Report

Supportive Housing May Pay for Itself

Housing for Health provides permanent supportive housing to people in Los Angeles County with complex medical and behavioral health issues. Evaluation after one year revealed dramatic reductions in their use of public services, such as emergency medical care, resulting in a net cost savings of 20 percent.

Dec 5, 2017
Journal Article

A Climate Stress Test of Los Angeles' Water Quality Plans

Overall, this study suggests that climate change and land use can significantly affect TMDL implementation plans; identifies how one such plan might be modified to address the resulting vulnerabilities; and demonstrates how robust decision making methods, employed with existing simulation models, may be able to generate legally acceptable plans that are robust and flexible in the face of climate and other uncertainties.

Sep 20, 2017
Report

Report

Can an Informative Letter Reduce Gun Crime and Be Cost-Effective? A Study of Los Angeles

This report evaluates the effect of the letters sent by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office on city-level rates of homicide, robbery, and aggravated assault with a firearm and conducts a cost-benefit assessment of this letter program.

Aug 2, 2017
News Release

News Release

Too Little Evidence Available to Determine Cost Savings of Crime Reform Initiative for Los Angeles County

While a California ballot initiative reducing penalties for some criminal offenses promised to save local governments money, quantifying such savings will require significant changes in the way local agencies track workloads.

Jun 15, 2017
Report

Too Little Evidence Available to Determine Cost Savings of Crime Reform Initiative for Los Angeles County

While a California ballot initiative reducing penalties for some criminal offenses promised to save local governments money, quantifying such savings will require significant changes in the way local agencies track workloads.

Jun 15, 2017
Report

A Psychometric Study of the Modified Bridges for Newborns Screening Tool

This report describes RAND Corporation work evaluating the psychometric characteristics of the Modified Bridges for Newborns, a screening tool to identify high-risk mothers in Los Angeles Count who are eligible for supportive services.

Feb 6, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Depression Care of African Americans and Hispanics in Los Angeles

Compared with non-Hispanic whites and US-born Hispanics, a larger proportion of African Americans and Hispanics used depression care provided by community faith-based organizations.

Nov 29, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Among Los Angeles County Men Who Have Sex with Men

Some strategies for treating high-risk individuals before HIV infection can be cost effective while helping to reduce incidence of the disease.

Nov 29, 2016
Report

City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Parks: Research Findings and Policy Implications (2003–2015)

This report summarizes more than a decade of research on how well neighborhood parks in Los Angeles support physical activity. Between 2003 and 2015, researchers observed 83 parks and fielded nearly 28,000 surveys of park users and local residents.

Nov 1, 2016

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