Policy and Practice | August 2022

Our pursuit of our nation’s health and well-being must remain persistent as we continue to shape andmold programs and services for our ever-changing world. We must seek answers and identify barriers to overall well-being, as well as track and evaluate our outcomes.

adds Harrison. “We know how many calls are coming in. We know when the busy times are, which helps with staff allocation. We know when our average call times are going up or down and can respond as needed. We even saw a dip in applications at one point, so we knew we needed a new mass email outreach campaign to get the message out there again to the public.” And moving forward, the DCA is working to merge the portals and pro cesses developed for the Utility Debt Relief Arrearage Forgiveness Program with its already existing assistance programs. Soon, citizens will have a much more streamlined and smooth application process, no matter the assistance program. Finding a Way for Those in Need,TogetherNow— MyWayfinder TogetherNow’s mission is to work across a diverse network of com mitted community providers and community members to ensure that people are at the center of an interconnected system of educa tion, health, and human services. To accomplish this work, TogetherNow provides an easy and accessible digital solution, MyWayfinder, and physical access points called Neighborhood Navigation Centers. MyWayfinder allows individuals to locate support where they need it as well as enables service providers to manage their workflows. MyWayfinder empowers individuals to better visu alize their needs and make personal connections with local services pro viders who are available to assist. The tool is designed so that individuals and families maintain control over their personal information and who can access their 360-degree dashboard. The 360-degree dashboard allows providers to holistically view how an individual is doing across different areas of their life. Service providers can maintain connection with com munity members who have added them to their care team. The providers can reduce service duplication and address service gaps. 211/LIFE LINE Community Connectors also leverage MyWayfinder to locate and share resources with callers.

TogetherNow staff can update content on MyWayfinder. The inte grated content management system manages content across MyWayfinder. To design better experiences and identify friction, system administra tors can review the web analytics dashboards and can run reports to analyze de-identified data. Data and reporting metrics displayed in the “Our Impact” page also provide administrators with the opportunity to identify communities where specific services are needed. by Communities and Neighborhoods n People in the community remain at the center of this project. Individuals and organizations are working collab oratively to build an interconnected system focusing on addressing care in a personalized way. Making Better Decisions by Using Community Data n A secure data hub helps share infor mation and coordinate care. Coordinating Services for Better Outcomes n Improving access to needed services by creating connections for indi viduals and families to programs and services based on their needs. This includes housing, food, health, employment, education, and more. Introducing Preventive Strategies to Stop Poverty Before it Starts n Improving coordinated cross-sector interventions by working with multiple organizations. Collectively The Results Creating a Future Shaped

helping to transition individuals and families from crisis to stable, to thriving. In Closing Benjamin Franklin was onto some thing when he said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While we still need access to good, quality care and treatment, we have seen the benefits of prevention—indi vidual prevention services, as well as improved outcomes, when a variety of services is coordinated and person centered. Education is a critical compo nent of success, as education helps promote and sustain healthy lifestyles and positive choices, and enhances personal, family, and community well being. Early intervention can also save individuals and their loved ones from stress, prevent more serious symptoms from developing, and reduce the likeli hood of problems with work, family, community, and school. Our pursuit of our nation’s health and well-being must remain per sistent as we continue to shape and mold programs and services for our ever-changing world. We must seek answers and identify barriers to overall well-being, as well as track and evaluate our outcomes. And remember, smile and be kind. You never know what someone is going through, and your smile or kind word may be just the prevention activity that person needs. Karen Snyder is the Lead Health and Human Services Industry Partner on the Public Market team at IBM Consulting.

August 2022 Policy&Practice 29