Improving enhanced care referral outcomes by innovating technology in community care
California United Ways and nine CA 211 Call Centers are developing a groundbreaking proof-of-concept model to improve how enhanced care is delivered to community members. This model will drive better outcomes by enabling United Ways and their partners to house community members more quickly, deliver mental health support and food assistance more efficiently, and strengthen working collaborations with 1,000 community-based organizations across 20 counties in California.
We’re working to drive rapid transformation in delivering critical community care services across California through the creation of a groundbreaking United Ways Enhanced Care Referral Network. This network will leverage the California Health and Human Services’s new data interoperability standards, the Data Exchange Framework (DXF).
United Ways Enhanced Care Referral Network (ECRN) will connect healthcare providers, nonprofits, and government agencies to ensure that community members receive faster, more coordinated care tailored to their individual needs. Our focus will be on supporting families, seniors, veterans, individuals needing mental health and/or substance abuse support, and other vulnerable groups in need of timely care.
By supporting this technology innovation initiative, you’re enabling vulnerable Californians to access essential services—such as housing, mental health support, and food assistance—more quickly, in the right place and at the right time from the best resourced and skilled provider. With your support, we can not only create a first-of-its-kind digital care referral network that could serve as a model for the entire nation, but we can also build more equitable communities where every individual has the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.
Federal, state, and local government work to support our most vulnerable community members is carried out by case managers across thousands of organizations, coordinated by United Ways and their targeted program managers.
Organizations like United Ways have an exciting opportunity to harness the power of 21st-century digital innovations and create a stronger, interconnected network to support our communities. While industries such as airlines, online travel platforms, and even government agencies benefit from integrated data systems, our community-based organization networks are just beginning to tap into these advancements. A unified digital referral network, where charitable organizations and government agencies work seamlessly together, could revolutionize how we respond to the needs of our most vulnerable. Program managers, who are currently working with fragmented data and limited tools, would gain more streamlined access to essential information, reducing duplication and freeing up valuable time to focus on direct care. Investing in this digital infrastructure would make a profound difference in how quickly and effectively we can respond to calls for help.
California Health and Human Services has introduced a new standard called the Data Exchange Framework (DXF), which holds transformational potential. A consortium of nine United Ways and nine 211 call centers has earned an innovation pilot grant to explore this potential. Together, they handle over one million calls for assistance each year, working with a network of 1,000 smaller organizations and coordinating efforts among an estimated 4,000 local caseworkers and thousands of government case managers across California. This DXF Pilot grant will support the design of an efficient, modern system for sending care referrals and tracking outcomes, which could increase program effectiveness by 20% and expand United Ways’ reach. To fully realize this initiative, however, matching funds are needed to invest in the necessary technology and skill-building.
