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ConneXions FAQs
- What is
ConneXions?
- Why
is ConneXions needed?
- How
does ConneXions work?
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How does ConneXions meet the long-term needs of
our community?
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What is the role of CHOICE Regional Health
Network?
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How is ConneXions funded?
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How is client confidentiality protected?
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How is ConneXions organized?
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What are the possibilities for participation in
this project?
ConneXions is a community-driven project of
social service, government, faith-based and health
care organizations working together to dramatically
increase access to services for individuals and
families in need. Our goal is to reduce system
fragmentation and barriers by simplifying and
coordinating access to local resources. ConneXions
is modeled on the Jesse Tree project in Galveston,
Texas, www.jessetree.net, which has had great
success in delivering holistic services to persons
in need. We will accomplish this project with a
community-owned information system for Grays Harbor,
Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties that
features a comprehensive resource database and
referral system.
Clients in the ConneXions system will be screened
for basic information and assessed for the full
range of their needs (food, housing, clothing,
health care, transportation and other). Clients then
will be referred to appropriate services via a
comprehensive resource database. System-wide
tracking of referrals means that limited resources
will be used most efficiently. ConneXions will
improve the stewardship of local resources and
reduce the frustration that service delivery staff
experience in trying to help clients.
People in our region currently face a daunting
journey trying to navigate the numerous and
confusing systems of service delivery that currently
exist. When transportation, language, income,
childcare and employment issues enter into the
picture, access to services becomes even more
difficult. As a result, people often do not receive
services for which they are eligible. Even when
services are accessed, they rarely address the full
range or underlying causes of people’s problems.
Unaddressed problems frequently escalate into more
complex and costly issues. Yet, community
organizations simply may not have the resources or
expertise to look beyond the immediate need of the
person. ConneXions will enable local organizations
to say, “We’ll get you connected”, and know that
clients will be respected, heard, and guided to
available resources that will comprehensively
address their needs and promote self-sufficiency.
Our vision for ConneXions is that when a person
comes into a ConneXions enrollment site, they will
be guided through a screening and assessment process
that elicits essential information about their
financial, health, transportation and other social
service needs. Clients will then be referred to
appropriate service providers in the community. With
the client’s consent, ConneXions will electronically
transfer the client’s information to “self-populate”
other agencies’ applications and alert appropriate
staff of the client’s interest.
This “shared” client information database will
ensure that client care is coordinated and resources
are not duplicated. ConneXions staff or volunteers
will also help clients gather the necessary
documentation and apply to state-subsidized
programs, such as Basic Health, Medicaid, State
Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), housing
and food stamps. Information may not be equally
shared across agencies because of certain privacy
laws (such as the protection of health information.)
Through these processes, a holistic and customized
plan is developed for each client to access the
spectrum of needed services.
ConneXions will help improve the health and
quality of life of residents in our region, create
important efficiencies for service providers, and
leverage local, state and federal funding
opportunities. Within five years, we envision that: ConneXions will serve as a single regional
referral system in our five counties
- ConneXions will serve as a single regional
referral system in our five counties
- Residents will able to access comprehensive
resources easily
- Data collection and reporting will improve
the community’s ability to identify service
delivery gaps, reach community solutions and
leverage funding.
Through a formal RFP process, CHOICE Regional
Health Network was selected to be the organizational
home for ConneXions in December 2004. CHOICE is a
ten-year-old nonprofit consortium dedicated to
increasing access to health care services and
improving the health status of people who live in
Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston
counties, with a focus on low-income populations.
Our board of directors represents seven public and
nonprofit hospitals, five public health
jurisdictions and the region’s only medical
residency program.
A sustainability plan to ensure ConneXions’
viability in the long-run is currently in
development. ConneXions is a community-owned project
that will offer participants significant
benefits and opportunities to leverage funding.
We anticipate that the key features of the
sustainability plan will include: 1) a sliding scale fee structure in exchange for
access to tools and networks that advance the
mission of participating organizations; 2) a plan to
encourage broad-based participation from the faith,
healthcare and social services community; 3) support
from federal and state government sources, including
outreach grants for food stamps and Medicaid; 4)
support from hospitals in the five counties for
services offered to them and 5) grant-writing.
We see the funding of ConneXions as a shared
commitment among all community partners, and CHOICE
as the organizational home is committed to creating
a plan that is feasible for all parties. CHOICE is
also currently developing a nationally recognized
model for negotiating support and assistance based
on identification of Return on Community Investment
(ROCI). By documenting significant return on
community investment, CHOICE will help ConneXions
attract resources that would not otherwise be
available to our community.
CHOICE has invested significant resources to
ensure that client confidentiality is protected and
that the system is maintained within Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
compliance. All ConneXions partners sign
confidentiality agreements and complete a
comprehensive training program that includes current
confidentiality procedures. Clients are able to
authorize which information is entered into the
shared database and with whom it is shared. Clients
receive services regardless of their decision
about releasing information. Information sharing
between organizations may not be equal because of
certain privacy laws, for example, information from
a health care provider specific to a patient’s
diagnosis and treatment.
ConneXions is the result of a two-year community
collaboration of public and private organizations,
including faith-based communities, all of which saw
the need to coordinate fragmented services in our
community. To build upon existing community
infrastructure, the ConneXions Steering Committee
decided to seek an organizational home for
ConneXions within a local agency, rather than
incorporate ConneXions as a separate 501(c) (3)
organization.
Organizational Home: As the organizational
home, CHOICE: 1) provides the regional
administrative support services necessary for the
implementation and operation of ConneXions; 2) is
accountable for ConneXion’s sustainability,
including fundraising, financial management,
employee and volunteer management, quality
improvement, client interaction training, program
evaluation, and marketing; 3) implements and supports
the information system at all ConneXions sites; and
4) administers the regional 1-800 phone system.
Advisory Board: An Advisory Board composed
of representatives of the faith-based, social
services, health care and government sectors has
been convened to assist CHOICE Regional Health
Network in implementing ConneXions. The Advisory Board assists
with: 1) developing a sustainability plan; 2)
designing a phased-in implementation plan; 3)
defining the role of Lead Agencies, enrollment and
referral sites; 4) identifying Lead Agencies (see
below) in all five counties; 5) creating templates
and procedures for business agreements; 6)
developing partnerships with state and county
agencies; and 7) prioritizing service gaps and
helping develop community solutions.
Lead Agencies: A Lead Agency will be
identified to customize ConneXions locally in each
county of our region, which includes Grays Harbor,
Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties. Lead
Agencies convenes community partners to create a
local steering committee in each county to ensure
community input, help identify enrollment sites,
collect and update local resource and program
eligibility information, troubleshoot non-technical
client referral processes, identify process and
quality improvements, and ensure that all necessary
business agreements between local partners are
completed. Lead Agencies also participates in
the Advisory Committee to help give input into
decisions. To date, Lead Agencies that have been
identified are Mason Matters in Mason County, Twin
Harbors Pharmaceutical Assistance Network in Grays
Harbor County and Pacific County, and CHOICE
Regional Health Network in Thurston County. CHOICE
may spin-off the Lead Agency role to a different
Thurston County organization in the future.
ConneXions Sites: The sites are located within
existing organizations where clients can call or
visit to gain access to resources, information and
assistance. Trained staff and volunteers carry out
the day-to-day operations of ConneXions, including
screening, assessing, and providing referral,
enrollment, and information services for clients.
There are several possibilities for involvement
in ConneXions:
- Join the local committee to start
customizing ConneXions in your county
- Become a ConneXions site.
- Share your organization’s resources and
information services
- Volunteer your time to help people in need
at a ConneXions site
- Make a financial contribution to support a
ConneXions site
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