IMPACT Connect, the designated provider for 211 information and referral services in Southeastern Wisconsin, has established a collaboration with local health systems, community organizations, and NowPow https://www.nowpow.com, an innovative technology company.
The goal is to improve health equity and outcomes across Milwaukee. Public health data reports on long standing health disparities in Milwaukee is based on ZIP codes, income, and race. To address the socioeconomic factors at the root of these disparities, IMPACT Connect will use NowPow’s personalized community referral platform to identify individuals’ health related social needs and then coordinate high quality highly matched referrals to community resources that can help.
IMPACT Connect will enable participating healthcare and social service organizations to share, coordinate and track referrals in real-time. The NowPow platform will help support closed loop communication between healthcare and human service providers to ensure that people get connected with the resources they need, as well as track outcomes and impact.
Also, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state’s Medicaid agency, has launched the Whole Person Care Initiative (WPCI) https://www.azahcccs.gov to focus on the social factors that have an impact on individual health and well-being. This can include housing, non-emergency transportation, and home and community-based services interventions.
AHCCCS in collaboration with 2-1-1 which is operated by the Crisis Response Network announced that Health Current https://healthcurrent.org, the state’s HIE, was selected to work with NowPow as the vendor for the state’s Closed Loop Referral System (CLRS) to address SDOH needs in the state.
Health Current is now evaluating the selection of available technology vendors with capabilities to screen for social risk factors, refer individuals to highly matched community resources, and serve as a closed loop referral platform for social service fulfillment.
By connecting healthcare and community service providers on a single statewide technology platform, this new service promises to stream the referral process, foster easier access to vital services, and confirm when social services are delivered.