Where We Work

Los Angeles County, California

INMED is transforming the future for children and families in the notoriously challenged city of Compton and the surrounding neighborhoods of south Los Angeles County. Through a broad range of health, social, education and violence prevention programs, INMED is helping to create opportunities that inspire hope, build self-reliance and encourage community collaboration to sustain positive change.

In 1994, INMED established the MotherNet L.A. perinatal home visiting program in Compton to help improve birth outcomes, strengthen parenting skills and support early childhood development in this high-risk community. Since then, the original MotherNet L.A. program has branched out to address cross-cutting factors that influence the health, lives and opportunities of the entire local population.

Now, with a 15-year record of successful program implementation, steady growth and positive program outcomes, INMED’s programs have proved their effectiveness in making a measurable impact on the health and well-being of populations hard to reach through traditional channels, and in helping at-risk children and families maximize their potential for success—despite the challenges of their environment.

INMED’s Los Angeles programs reach medically underserved Latinos and African Americans who face any of a number of sociocultural, behavioral and environmental risk factors that compromise their health and quality of life. Common risk factors among our target population include intergenerational poverty, social isolation, language barriers, teen pregnancy/ parenthood, depression or other mental health concerns, a history of child abuse and domestic violence, unemployment/underemployment, inadequate living conditions or homelessness, substance abuse, gang affiliation and post-incarceration issues.

To address the many diverse needs of our community, INMED works through the following programs and service lines:

• Intensive Perinatal Case Management or adolescents and adults who are at highest risk for poor birth outcomes and subsequent poor outcomes in child health, development, safety and academic success. (MotherNet L.A.)
• Case Management for Chronic Conditions, providing in-home education and case management to help families with children who have asthma, diabetes or obesity better manage and treat their children’s conditions, and ensuring that eligible children are enrolled in a health coverage program. (Take Charge!)
• Community-Level Obesity Reduction, combining parent education and empowerment through the schools, community organizing and advocacy, strengthening the capacity of local nonprofits to advocate for supportive community-level changes, and a pilot obesity-reduction program at local schools to address key contributors to local obesity rates. (Food for Thought)
• Mentoring Activities, specifically for children who have a parent in state or federal prison, matching these at-risk youth with a positive adult role model. (Embracing Our Youth)
• Youth Gang Intervention, offering intensive, comprehensive case management, counseling, job training, and tattoo removal through local partners for youth who want to change their lives by seeking positive alternatives to gang involvement. (Earn Respect Intervention Program)
• Domestic Violence Education and Case Management, raising awareness of domestic violence issues and helping adolescent and adult victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault to develop safety and escape plans, and to navigate the legal system to receive shelter, restraining orders, and protective services.
• Center-Based Services for adolescents and adults, including support groups, child development activities, and parenting, health and domestic violence awareness classes.
• Community Health Access, including health coverage enrollment and immunization outreach and education.
• Referral Network composed of a variety of formal collaborative partnerships with clinical providers, social service agencies, public services, and mental health resources.
• Compton Family Health Collaborative, comprising representatives from more than 30 local service providers mobilized by INMED to share information and resources and to collaboratively address local health challenges through both direct service projects and community-level advocacy.