Enrollment and Referral Sites FAQs

Staff at service providers in our region currently spend countless hours identifying the right program or service for clients, determining eligibility criteria, troubleshooting applications, and negotiating very complicated systems to help meet their clients’ needs. When language, cultural, transportation, childcare and other barriers enter into the picture, it is even more difficult for staff to serve clients as they wish. The comprehensive and coordinated nature of the ConneXions system will allow agencies to dramatically increase their staff’s effectiveness in serving clients. ConneXions sites will help people in Lewis, Mason, Thurston, Grays Harbor and northern Pacific counties to access the resources available to them as easily and quickly as possible.

1. What does it mean to become a ConneXions site?
2. How are ConneXions sites staffed?
3. How are the sites supported by ConneXions?
4. What resources would need to be provided by the enrollment site?

1. What does it mean to become a ConneXions site?

Mission Alignment

The mission and values of agencies that host ConneXions sites must be in alignment with those of ConneXions. ConneXions sites will treat the client as a whole person, including those who may speak a different language and have different cultural norms. When a person comes into a ConneXions site, he or she will be treated with respect, compassion and appreciation of the skills they have and those they need to develop to navigate the current system.

Functions

Sites will carry out the day-to-day operations of ConneXions: screening, assessing, and providing referral and information services for clients. All ConneXions partners will be expected to update client records when services are offered. Three types of ConneXions sites are envisioned:

• Referral sites: check if clients have been screened, assessed and entered into the ConneXions system. If not, refer client to a basic or comprehensive site. If client is in the system, site can refer client to resources, update client records, and update client action plans.
   
• Basic Sites: field phone calls and walk-ins; work with clients to complete the screening and assessment process that will elicit needed information; generate a client-specific action plan; and schedule appointments for services. In addition, basic sites will help clients apply for food stamps and educate clients about navigating the service delivery system.
   
• Comprehensive Sites: conduct all of the basic enrollment site functions and also assist clients in enrolling into Basic Health, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program, housing and prescription assistance programs. Comprehensive sites may also perform case management functions.

Timeline

ConneXions sites will be phased in over the first year from July 2005 to June 2006. The first three months of ConneXions operations will be a testing period for the software and client processes at already existing CHOICE sites, which are sponsored by six hospitals, two public health jurisdictions, and one tribe, and one community partner, the Thurston County Food Bank. After this period, community partners such as faith-based communities, social service agencies and other organizations will be phased in as ConneXions sites. 

Sustainability

A sliding scale fee structure based on organizational expenses has been created to cover the reasonable costs of the central functions performed by CHOICE as the organizational home (see ConneXions Sites Functions, Benefits and Fees for more details).

2. How are ConneXions sites staffed?

ConneXions will be staffed by existing paid and volunteer staff of the organization hosting the enrollment site.

 Maximizing the use of volunteers is a key ConneXions value. CHOICE Regional Health Network has extensive experience in recruiting, training and managing volunteers through our five-year subcontract with the Statewide Health Insurance & Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program. We anticipate that pharmacy assistance volunteers will offer services at each comprehensive enrollment site. CHOICE is also exploring different community volunteer models, as well as the AmeriCorps and VISTA programs, to identify opportunities that may be appropriate for ConneXions. Such volunteers will help develop and implement projects that will make sites sustainable into the future.

3. How are the sites supported by ConneXions?

As the organizational home, CHOICE’s Board of Directors is fully committed to the implementation and success of ConneXions, and has agreed that CHOICE will support the enrollment sites with the following resources: 

• Software
• Help desk for IS support
• Comprehensive five-county resource database
• Training for staff and volunteers
• Marketing and outreach
• Community-shared client information system
• Database management
• Fundraising and business planning
• Human resources and volunteer management
• Business and partnership agreements
• Administration of the bilingual 1-800 phone line
• Identification of service gaps and community solutions
• Access to data and reports, which will improve local agencies’ ability to discuss local needs with funding agencies CHOICE Regional Health Network also may be able to provide computers at no cost to enrollment sites if needed.

CHOICE Regional Health Network also may be able to provide computers at no cost to enrollment sites if needed.

4. What resources would need to be provided by the enrollment site?

The enrollment sites will be responsible, with support from CHOICE, for helping to update the community resource database, participating in training opportunities, helping Lead Agencies identify process and quality improvements, and administering periodic client surveys. An enrollment site will need to provide a reasonably private space for a desk where staff can meet with clients, a computer (which may be shared with other job functions of the existing facility) and a waiting area. A personal computer with a DSL connection or better will be required (see ConneXions Sites Functions, Benefits and Fees for more details). Minimal storage room for outreach materials may also be needed.