Coordinating Services to Invert the Burden
Coordinating Services to Invert the Burden
There is growing consensus that to address health disparities, a system of care is needed that simplifies access to services. A coordinated system would ease the burden of navigating a complex maze of eligibility criteria, applications, and documentation on the individual, and instead fall on a case manager. Today, it can require 15 to 20 phone calls, the submission of significant paperwork (often multiple times to multiple agencies), assessment screenings, and the uncertainty of waiting just to receive help with one month’s rent or to get one appointment at a food bank. Frequently, even after these submissions, individuals and families do not receive needed services because they do not qualify, funds have run out, or they are placed on a waiting list.
By inverting the burden away from the individual, a person-centered system of care is focused on improving the experience of those seeking support by not only to making the process quicker but also comprehensively assisting individuals and families. This strategy also aims to ensure they can get back to a place of stability and tap into their and their community’s resilience.
ARCHI, housed at the Georgia Health Policy Center, is supporting the codesign process to build a system of coordinated service through four pilots in metro Atlanta, specifically focused on housing. The first phase included national research on relevant models and design. The second phase included local research, evaluation support of United Way’s 211 system and partner identification through interviews with case managers, local service seekers, and service providing organizations.
In partnership with TechBridge and Intelegy, ARCHI will be supporting the work of several emerging collaboratives that are ready to design and build coordinated networks of providers to build person-centered, trauma-informed networks to share data, streamline service access (with a focus on rental assistance), and track impact on the individual across their organization.