The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services has been working to better address the health needs of its inmate population, including improving the patient flow for its Inmate Reception Center (IRC), the entry point for inmates.

As a FUSE executive fellow, Tom Pyun piloted several programs to enhance patient flow and reduce traffic through the IRC, and he helped the county’s jail system adopt a more patient-centered approach to its services. He helped implement and evaluate the Consolidated Health Screening program, which strives to improve patient wait times and access to quality care. Working with stakeholders, Tom also helped pilot programs aimed at consolidating classification and health screening functions, which could significantly decrease IRC traffic while improving patient wait times.