The Health AI Partnership (HAIP), in partnership with The SCAN Foundation and California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), is developing a coordinated technical assistance program to support the effective implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) among California’s safety-net providers. Launched in January 2025, this initiative aims to empower these institutions with the capabilities needed to adopt and use AI successfully. By fostering connections across the healthcare ecosystem and promoting access to expert guidance and support, the program seeks to close the digital divide in healthcare and ensure all providers–regardless of size or resources–can evaluate, implement, and monitor AI technologies responsibly and effectively.

Why This Matters

AI technologies are rapidly transforming healthcare delivery, but not every organization has equal access to the expertise needed to implement these tools effectively. For example, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), community health centers, and county hospitals often face challenges in AI adoption due to resource constraints, technical capacity limitations, and lack of standardized evaluation frameworks. Without coordinated support, there’s a risk that the benefits of AI will flow primarily to large, well-resourced health systems, potentially widening digital divide and healthcare disparities.

What We Are Building

We are building an operational model for AI for the safety-net that:

• Maps existing resources and expertise across California’s healthcare ecosystem.
• Connects organizations with appropriate technical assistance providers.
• Standardizes evaluation approaches for AI tools to ensure quality, fairness, and safety.
• Creates sustainable partnerships between community clinics, county hospitals, regional
  networks, and support organizations.

Where Are We Now

As of June 2025, HAIP is currently conducting a series of in-depth interviews with leaders at safety-net provider organizations to better understand their capacity for technology adoption, key barriers they face, and high-value use cases for AI implementaton. In parallel, HAIP is engaging with close collaborators of these providers to assess the types of support they offer and identify gaps in services. Insights from these interviews will inform the development of the operational model tailored to the specific needs and context of California’s healthcare landscape.