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Episode 39: Bringing Together Multiple Perspectives to Provide Better Health Outcomes
AllianceEpisode 39 of the podcast More than Health Care: Nonprofits and Health Care Working Together is now available on the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities’ website and on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. Once a month, a new episode uncovers keys to collaboration and holistic health in pursuit of improved health outcomes and lower costs for all.
Camden Coalition is grounded in what is known as, “Perspective Taking.” In other words, they consider a variety of different perspectives on issues in order to provide, adopt, and achieve a better outcome for individuals.
Victor Murray, director of field building and resources at Camden Coalition explained further, “Our goal is to include as many perspectives as possible—whether that’s a local health department, a health system, community-based organizations, [or] primary care—whomever these institutions or organizations might be that can help us to better understand the population that we’re serving and resources that we need.”
It’s through the power of community partnerships that Camden Coalition started connecting the dots on a micro-patient level, creating a narrative around each patient. By implementing its “Big Tent” approach, it is better equipped to apply a holistic health method and help community members navigate systems and receive better services.
In addition, by knowing the strengths of their community partners, they have been able to leverage those strengths during COVID-19 to better deliver pressing services. One example was through their ”quarantine hotels,” where community members without housing could come and properly quarantine, receive critical care, and get assistance with making connections to family, friends, or other needed services.
Carter Wilson, associate director for the National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs, an initiative of the Camden Coalition, talked through how health systems are a key partnership moving forward from COVID-19, “I think COVID helped clarify for health systems that their work needs to go beyond the traditional health care delivery system. I think that’s clear. But what isn’t clear is how health systems will respond, in part, that health systems have had a hard year. I’m worried that a lot of these institutions will choose to go fast, and to go fast you go alone.”
Wilson goes on to say that as these health systems race forward, he hopes they do so with the perspectives and the partnership of community to create the necessary impact. Because this is often easier said than done, Murray and Wilson close out the episode outlining the investments they see as critical to provide proper complex care to community members, both locally and nationally.
Listen to Victor Murray and Carter Wilson as they explain how shifting to a collaborative infrastructure approach will better impact individuals with complex needs in Episode 39 of the More than Health Care Podcast available through the Alliance website or subscribe on the Apple Podcast, Google Play, or Spotify apps.
About the Podcast
While many are realizing that collaboration and holistic approaches are the solution, the health care and human services sectors are struggling to find the right formula to realize the full potential. The More than Health Care podcast is designed to help organizations overcome barriers to partnerships resulting from cultural differences, financial pressures, and rules and regulations.
In addition to showcasing inspiring examples of integration from across the country, featured experts will expose the myths, misconceptions, and shortcomings of efforts to address the social determinants of health through collaboration across sectors.
This podcast is presented by the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities-Council on Accreditation, Beech Acres Parenting Center, and KVC Health Systems. Host Jill Huynh, vice president of new business development at Beech Acres, and producer Erin Keltner, vice president of clinical services for KVC West Virginia, work at the intersection of health and human services, bringing the expertise and practical experience to uncover key takeaways for improving health care and human services integration.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.
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Learn more about the Alliance’s efforts to improve population health and well-being.
About Alliance
With millions of children, adults, and families across the nation experiencing barriers to achieving their full potential, the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities works with thousands of committed social sector leaders to help their organizations more positively impact their communities. During this time of immense change in our field, the imperative for our network to be strong, excellent, distinct, and influential has never been greater. Rooted in the historic cause of advancing equity for all people, the Alliance today is a national strategic action network driven by members aligned through shared ownership and a common vision to achieve a healthy and equitable society. The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities represents a network of hundreds member organizations across the U.S. The member network is comprised of private human-serving nonprofits that provide direct services to children, families, adults, and communities and state or regional federations, councils, and associations.
