APLA Health deploys high-speed fiber to better assist people in crisis

“One of the most critical pieces of going with Spectrum Business was being able to connect our APLA Health clinics via SD-WAN. Now our patients and staff can access our service portal and manage electronic medical records and prescription information.” 

Donny Fan, Chief Information Officer, APLA Health

APLA Health has been serving the diverse needs of many people living in Los Angeles County for over 40 years. Started in 1983 as an outreach and advocacy organization for AIDS patients, it expanded to assist the city’s homeless population and people living below the poverty line.

“If you add up our total patient volume just between medical, dental, behavioral health and sexual health services, we serve some 30,000 people a year,” says Donny Fan, Chief Information Officer, APLA Health. “That doesn’t include people we help with food banks or assisted housing. Managing such demand requires connectivity.”

To help APLA Health make their broad array of services more available by utilizing advanced fiber connectivity, Fan reached out to Spectrum Business.

Two Dedicated Fiber Internet circuits were installed at each of the five APLA Health clinics and the organization’s headquarters. Spectrum Business also established backup internet connectivity for all six of these locations. High-speed broadband connectivity was also incorporated at nine locations, providing bandwidth for guest WiFi at food clinics and assisted housing locations.

“Spectrum Business saved me a lot of headaches because this way I only have to deal with one person,” Fan says. “At the same time, I now have a SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) set up so APLA Health can move into the cloud with the redundancy I need to all locations.”

Leveraging SD-WAN, the network brings together every APLA Health office across Los Angeles County, from Long Beach to Baldwin Hills to their newest medical clinic in West Hollywood.

“Having the ability to connect remotely with the people we serve has been a great benefit for everyone involved,” Fan notes. “Being able to talk with people online is not only a convenience, but also a comfort for those who don’t have a car and feel vulnerable travelling long distances by public transit.”