LOS ANGELES — LA Care Health Plan announced Monday it has created a $10 million wildfire relief fund to support providers in its network, along with its community partners and employees.

"LA Care's emergency response teams have been collaborating with provider partners and community stakeholders from the beginning of the fire emergency to ensure they could serve our members. The health plan is already supporting providers by allocating resources to address staffing shortages and supply needs in the most impacted areas," Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care CEO, said in a statement. "This additional funding will help speed up the recovery for those who are facing serious challenges. Ultimately, it means continued access to care and support services for the vulnerable residents that LA Care serves."

The $10 million LA Care Network and Community Relief Fund will assist providers in the health plan's network, along with county agencies, and community organizations as they rebuild after severe fire losses.

LA Care officials said at least nine employees of the health plan lost their homes in the fires, and dozens more were forced to evacuate. The relief fund will provide an additional 40 hours of paid time off for workers who lost their homes, and will increase the amount of paid volunteer time off employees can take to lend their support to people impacted by the fires. Employees will also be permitted to donate their own paid time off to affected co-workers.

"LA Care understands that without the appropriate assistance, there is a risk that employees will struggle with instability, be unable to support our members and providers — and potentially unable to continue their important work with LA Care," Santana-Chin said. "We value our employees and their commitment to LA Care's mission of providing high-quality care to the county's low-income populations, so we want to ensure that they can continue to help fulfill that mission."