Addressing medical needs is only a portion of what contributes to an individual’s health. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, medical care counts for 10 percent of health outcomes, while individual behaviors and social and environmental factors account for roughly 60 percent.
To meet these additional needs, MultiCare’s population health department, as well as stakeholders across the system, launched the Community Resource Hub powered by “Unite Us.” This software is supported by MultiCare Health Foundation and Good Samaritan Foundation donor funds and helps social workers and community health workers connect patients to valuable resources.
When a patient comes into a clinic, they’re asked questions that assess their risk or need for housing, food, transportation and financial insecurity. If they’re at risk for any of these categories, their care provider sends their information to the Community Resource Hub — a dedicated team who reaches out to the patient directly to connect them with community resources.
“All the providers we’ve presented this to have been really excited about it because they’re having these conversations already,” MultiCare Connected Care Program Manager Michelle Sabia, MPH, CPH says. “These things come up, and providers feel helpless because they don’t have all these resources at their fingertips, but they want to help their patients.”
MultiCare Rockwood Northpointe Clinic in Spokane is the first to test this new program. In just six weeks, four providers have already had more than 30 referrals. MultiCare looks forward to expanding to clinics in the Puget Sound region and eventually making this a system-wide initiative.
