The L.A. Trust expands student health leadership into Compton
Dominguez High School tabling event
The L.A. Trust is expanding its Wellness Youth Advocates (WYA) program beyond Los Angeles Unified School District to Compton Unified School District. The partnership will empower students at Compton High School, Dominguez High School and Whaley Middle School to become leaders in health education and advocacy.
Supported by a generous Health Net grant running from April 2026 through June 2028, the partnership brings together two parts of The L.A. Trust’s work: empowering students to lead health and wellness activities through the WYA program and extending the Data xChange services to Compton Unified to strengthen the connection between school and health center data.
The WYA expansion is already generating interest across the three campuses. At Compton High School, school administrators, counselors and student leaders have helped introduce the program to students. Dominguez High School recruitment has included campus outreach and family engagement, while Whaley Middle School has seen interest from students in grades six through eight. The L.A. Trust aims to build teams of up to 10 student advocates at each school.
“There’s definitely a need here. The administration and student support staff have expressed excitement about the program and the opportunities it can provide for students,” said Noah Banfield, who is helping lead the WYA expansion in Compton.
Through WYA, students develop leadership and communication skills while sharing health information with their peers and school communities. Activities may include campus outreach, workshops and student-led social media campaigns, giving young people opportunities to promote wellness and help connect their communities with health resources.
Connecting students and families to healthcare
A key part of the Compton expansion is helping students and families better understand available health services. Working with St. John’s Community Health, The L.A. Trust is incorporating education about Medi-Cal coverage and Enhanced Care Management (ECM), a service that helps eligible Medi-Cal members coordinate health care and connect with additional support services.
The initiative will introduce students and program staff to ECM so they can share information about these services with their peers, families and community members. An educational module on ECM is planned for a future phase of the program.
Bringing the Data xChange to Compton
The partnership also extends The L.A. Trust’s Data xChange services to Compton Unified School District. The Data xChange connects school and health center data, helping partners better understand the relationship between student health and educational outcomes.
Compton Unified is beginning to use the Data xChange with the same data collection process used at other participating wellness centers. This adds another dimension to The L.A. Trust’s partnership with the district, supporting stronger connections between health care and education alongside its investment in student leadership.
As the partnership develops, The L.A. Trust will continue working with school and health partners to strengthen student-led outreach, connect families with health resources and support school communities in promoting student health and well-being.