by Michael Cirigliano II, on January 11, 2021
Healthify partners with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS), Stormont Vail Health, and the United Way of Greater Topeka to form the Northeast Kansas Community Network.
Healthify has joined forces with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS), Stormont Vail Health, and United Way of Greater Topeka to launch the Northeast Kansas Community Network—a cooperative of healthcare and social service organizations committed to dramatically improving health outcomes across Northeast Kansas.
Funded through support from BCBSKS, the Northeast Kansas Community Network represents Healthify's latest endeavor to build a world where no one's health is hindered by their need.
Knocking down the barriers to whole-person care
The mission of the Northeast Kansas Community Network?
To transform the current system of care in Northeast Kansas by closing the gap between clinical and non-clinical organizations. With Healthify's platform serving as the bedrock for the network's infrastructure, healthcare providers and community service organizations across the region are empowered to provide whole-person care to the most vulnerable members of the community.
That means not only enhanced collaboration and streamlined care coordination among the network's organizations, but a strengthened ability to measure and gauge the impact of value-based care services offered across the region. With this new network, healthcare providers can access the Healthify platform at any time to find the local resources their patients need and refer them directly to those community organizations.
"Our goal is to help reduce as many barriers as possible to accessing the resources needed to live a healthy life," said Virginia Barnes, director of Blue Health Initiatives at BCBSKS. "We know that around 60 percent of health outcomes are due to social, physical, and environmental factors in our communities. This network will provide a stronger foundation for health that works with—not separate from—the healthcare systems."
Unlocking SDoH, building healthier communities
With more than half of health outcomes determined by the community's social determinants of health (SDoH), it's more important than ever that healthcare providers across Northeast Kansas discover and forge stronger relationships with non-clinical organizations that share a commitment to building stronger—and healthier—communities.
Leading that charge from the provider side is Stormont Vail, which will play a vital role in the network as the leading healthcare provider in the community and a key starting point for many of the referrals.
"Healthify will assist Stormont Vail Health care teams in completing timely referrals to community organizations to address and assist with the social needs of our patients," said Amy Kincade, vice president of Population Health at Stormont Vail Health. "Using a referral system such as Healthify strengthens our community relationships to improve our patient's health outcomes."
The network has already onboarded 13 community partners in Shawnee County, which collectively accept referrals for more than 180 social services. If you are a social service organization and would like to join the network please click here. To learn more about the Northeast Kansas Community Network and Healthify's role in this new partnership, see the full press release here.
