Care Access - USC Schaeffer

Organization Overview

With hundreds of research locations, mobile clinics, and clinicians across the globe, Care Access brings world-class clinical research and health services directly to communities that often face barriers to care. By partnering with healthcare providers, health systems, community organizations, and local leaders, Care Access expands access to research while helping more people understand their health and contribute to the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow. The organization supports clinical research across numerous therapeutic areas, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Clinical Trial Recruitment Resource

Care Access supports AD clinical trial recruitment through a participant-centric model that expands access to research in communities that have historically been underrepresented in clinical studies. Its community-based approach brings research opportunities closer to participants through established research sites, dedicated screening locations, physician offices, long-term care facilities, mobile health services, virtual screening options, and partnerships with healthcare organizations, reducing many of the geographic and logistical barriers that can limit participation.

Programs such as Future of Medicine provide standardized advanced health screenings (including pTau) and connect eligible individuals with research opportunities, creating a pathway for identifying and engaging participants who may benefit from AD prevention and treatment studies. Care Access has partnered with skilled nursing facilities, such as Principle LTC and Trilogy Health Services, to bring AD education and trials directly to high-risk populations.

Metrics

Model: Community-based clinical research and health services delivered through established research sites, dedicated screening locations, physician-office and community partnerships, and decentralized research capabilities (mobile and virtual)
Geographic Reach: Hundreds of research locations, mobile clinics, and clinicians globally
Therapeutic Areas: Multiple therapeutic areas, including AD and neurodegeneration
Community Focus: Expanding access to healthcare and clinical research in communities facing barriers to care
Partnerships: Walmart, local community leaders, skilled nursing facilities, primary care networks
Services: Clinical research delivery, health screenings, clinical trial referrals, community partnerships, and research support

Discussion

AD clinical trials continue to face significant enrollment challenges, particularly among populations that have historically had limited access to research opportunities. Geographic distance, transportation, awareness, and longstanding disparities in healthcare contribute to lower participation rates among many older adults and underserved communities.

Care Access addresses these challenges by bringing clinical research and health services directly to communities through local partnerships, mobile capabilities, and community-centered programs. This approach has the potential to improve access to AD prevention and treatment studies, support more representative trial populations, and generate research findings that better reflect the diversity of the communities affected by the disease. As sponsors increasingly prioritize equitable access and broader participant representation, community-based research models may play an important role in improving enrollment and expanding opportunities for participation.

In this model, community-based reflects a participant-centric approach: bringing research to where people are, while maintaining standardized workflows across all settings, from established research sites and physician offices to mobile and community locations.