Policy & Practice | October 2021

Opportunities for Action The issues have been documented at length. This article focuses instead on actions that state and local agency leaders and staff can take now. We are at a pivotal moment to use the current opportunities presented to us to effect real change. These opportunities result from: ■ The COVID-19 pandemic and the light it shone on individuals, families, and communities, both in its disproportionate impact and increased numbers of individuals needing support due to illness, job loss, inadequate child care, and more ■ The urgent call to action to end racism and racial bias, including racial bias in human services policies, practices, and systems ■ A broader understanding of how negative social, economic, and envi- ronmental factors correlate with poor health ■ Better and more affordable access to data and technology solutions, including transparent and ethical uses of artificial intelligence and machine learning, facilitating com- munication across previously siloed systems and improving predictive recommendations. 2 Atlanta-based Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) noticed the opportunities for action and is moving upstream in their fight against COVID-19 and its larger impacts in underserved communities. Recognizing that historic inequities in health care, housing, education, and income exacerbate the impact of the pandemic on already underserved communities, MSM collaborated with KPMG, Salesforce, and a network of community-based organizations and other partners to create a commu- nity health portal called the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN). “Through its partnerships, the NCRN is a digital front door for individuals and families in underserved communities to access COVID-19 related resources that are culturally and linguistically appropriate,” says Dominic Mack, MD, MBA, Director of the National Center for Primary Care and Professor of Family Medicine at Morehouse School of

Medicine. Partnerships are a crucial part of the solution, as Dr. Mack explains: “We’ve partnered with community- based organizations because they have a presence and a reach locally, understand why community members don’t come forward, and, through their credibility and trust, they can link communities they serve to critical health education information and care options.” The NCRN leverages the power of technology to engage communities at the zip-code level (in 11 different languages), connecting people to the information and resources they need to get health education resources, access to primary care providers, and a view into their state’s vaccine distribution pipeline. This solution provides health systems with access to sometimes hard-to-reach communities by empow- ering themwith information on how to navigate the system, manage cases, assess demand and supply for services and vaccines—all ultimately to improve community health access and outcomes. While at first glance the MSM project is about data and technology, it is fun- damentally about catching problems early and providing solutions that are appropriate and accessible. At the core of the MSM project are the populations that it serves, including African American, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, Alaskan American, and Native American populations. These groups have been historically underserved, are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, 3 and continue to suffer from far higher rates of many preventable and treatable medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. 4 The team set out to create an experience designed by, about, and for them. Todd Ellis, Principal at KPMG, states, “The platform is seen as a living, breathing thing that will evolve based upon continual feedback. What’s working can be measured, and appropriate adjustments can be made based on platformmetrics. Each local community can share best practices to maximize the engagement of its citizens. The hope is that in capturing the voice of the traditionally voiceless, these insights can be used in the plat- form’s continuation post-COVID—to promote health at the community level.”

There is a disconnect between the vision and the current reality for many individuals and for the agencies pro- viding these services. Human services leaders across the country are plagued by a history of siloed delivery models, policies, and funding limitations that deliver fragmented remedies to indi- viduals and families far downstream. At the point of intervention, relatively simple problems have grown in scope and the impact on lives is far greater than when the original issue was pre- sented. Problems that appear to be social in nature, if left unaddressed, compound and negatively impact health in the long and short term. Racism and racial bias have led to the disproportionate representation of people of color in downstream systems, resulting in exposure to social and environmental factors that negatively impact health. 1

Todd Ellis is the Principal,

Advisory Health and Government Solutions, at KPMG LLP.

Carole Hussey is the Director, Government

Solutions, Children and Family Services Lead at KPMG LLP.

Rachel Pratt is the Manager,

Advisory, Health and Government Solutions at KPMG LLP.

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Policy&Practice October 2021