The New York eHealth Collaborative and 2-1-1 New York, Inc., a subsidiary of United Way of New York State recently announced they have received a Social Care Referrals Challenge award from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Community Living. NYeC and 2-1-1 NY will partner to create a foundation for stakeholders across New York and beyond to support information exchange spanning health and data related to people’s social needs and services.
“We are thrilled to be partnering in this important work that is sure to benefit so many New Yorkers and further the mission of both 2-1-1 and United Way,” said Mary Shaheen, Vice President of United Way of New York State (UWNYS) and President of 2-1-1 New York.
NYeC and 2-1-1 NY will begin by establishing a trust framework and statewide governance structure to support collaboration and exchange of community information across existing networks and users. This framework will develop an aggregated, comprehensive statewide resource repository of community-based organizations and services that will support healthcare providers’ ability to make appropriate referrals, facilitate the exchange of social determinants of health (SDoH) data, and ultimately ensure increased access to critical housing, food, and other social support services. Addressing social needs directly impacts patient outcomes and reduces unnecessary healthcare spending.
NYeC leads the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) which connects all hospitals and well over 100,000 healthcare professionals across the state. 2-1-1 NY is a resource repository of health and human services provided by organizations and government agencies within New York, to help people in need navigate the landscape of available services to facilitate access based on their needs and location. These community resources can be accessed by phone, text and publicly available websites.
“Vulnerable New Yorkers rely on resources and services delivered by community-based organizations, but those needs often go unmet due to the fragmented structure that exists between the healthcare and social services systems,” said Valerie Grey, NYeC CEO. “Community-based organizations must be supported to assist healthcare providers with resources to improve overall health, reduce disparities, and increase wellbeing of patients and communities. While several systems have emerged in recent years to address these types of needs, they are disparate and not interoperable. These are gaps we can fill so stakeholders can continue to innovate within this space for the betterment of our broader community.”
For more information on HHS ACL’s Social Care Referrals Challenge and the other awardees, please visit https://acl.gov/programs/acl-announces-social-care-referrals-challenge-phase-1-awardees.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].