Adirondack Health Institute (AHI), in collaboration with numerous community, social service, public sector, and health care provider organizations, has launched ADK Wellness Connections, a powerful, centrally-connected resource navigation and referral coordination network.
ADK Wellness Connections aims to improve access to care and services to address unmet social and health-related needs for individuals and families in the greater Adirondack region. It is part of a larger effort to increase collaboration and interoperability between clinical and social service providers, under the state Department of Health Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program. A five-year program beginning in 2015, DSRIP was intended to transform care delivery to individuals who receive Medicaid with the goals of reducing avoidable hospital use, increasing access to primary and preventative care, and improving population health outcomes.
Addressing social factors that impact health outcomes, such as housing, transportation, and access to nutritious food, has proven to be a key consideration in DSRIP initiatives.
ADK Wellness Connections utilizes Unite Us, a secure, HIPAA-compliant software platform, to support referral coordination, resource navigation, and the collection of social determinants of health outcomes data among network partners in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties.