LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Norton Healthcare is expanding its partnership with Unite Us and the coordinated care network, United Community. United Community helps community-based organizations, educational institutions, and health care providers easily refer their patients and clients to critical social services.
Partners in the network are connected through the Unite Us Platform, which enables them to send and receive electronic referrals and improve health across communities.
Norton Healthcare’s participation was piloted in early 2020, with a group of social workers and nursing professionals who joined the network and, with consent, entered patients into the platform, launched from the electronic medical record, and connected them with community partners for a variety of services.
Once entered into the platform, clients – including children, individuals, and families – are connected to appropriate services based on their unique needs and eligibility criteria.
With a focus on addressing social determinants of health, Norton Healthcare staff can connect patients to a number of supportive services including health, education, housing, food insecurity, transportation, and more. The patients’ journeys are managed and tracked from start to finish through the United Community secure, outcome-focused network, which allows the provider to measure the impact of people receiving services.
In 2021, Norton Healthcare expanded its participation in the United Community network by allowing more staff access to the Unite Us Platform. With the expansion, Norton Healthcare employees also will be connected with community partners for services they need. The first rollout of this enterprise partnership took place in September, providing access to care managers, social workers, and lead staff across the majority of Norton Healthcare’s departments.
“This platform and community network offer the opportunity to align with the organization’s imperatives,” said Casie Kichler, DNP, APRN, ONC, AGCNS-BC, system director, care continuum, Care Management. “It also meets the diverse needs of that Norton Healthcare serves, not just medically but also socially. This includes patients and our own employees.”
Norton Healthcare is proud to be a partner with Unite Us and the United Community network and take this step towards a “no wrong door” approach to assisting patients and employees in need.
For more information on the program, visit MetroUnitedWay.org/Program/United-Community and https://unitedcommunity.uniteus.com/.
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