UnitedHealthcare introduces community-based collaborative to improve health outcomes, equity

Photo: Hugh Sitton/Getty Images

UnitedHealthcare this week announced a community-based initiative called Community Catalyst that convenes a broad range of community stakeholders to identify and address specific healthcare needs of community members and residents of publicly assisted housing, people who are often difficult to reach and serve.

This expands on UnitedHealthcare’s long-term collaboration with the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. This collaboration is intended to engage public housing agencies, federally qualified health centers and community-based organizations in a mutual commitment to serve as a catalyst to close gaps in care, address health equity challenges and encourage a greater positive health impact in local communities. 

The initiative works by blending clinical data with firsthand information from community members to identify health challenges. The goal is to bring together local partners to develop a collaborative community plan to address needs and track progress and outcomes.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT?

UnitedHealthcare and its partners will analyze claims, healthcare utilization and local data to identify communities with large racial and health disparities and challenges. These partners will then develop common goals and collaborative interventions that enable each organization to leverage its capabilities to address the local health challenge. 

These interventions will be customized to the community, and may encompass food insecurity and diabetes management programs that can include trauma-informed care training, telehealth and virtual care services, multilingual educational materials, and social services wraparound support.

As of now, the priorities include food insecurity, health disparities – such as health literacy and maternal and women’s health – behavioral and mental health, homelessness, access to healthcare, and chronic disease and diabetes management.

UnitedHealthcare and the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities announced the first cohort of public housing authorities with planned programs addressing challenges as identified in Akron and Columbus, Ohio; Austin and Houston, Texas; and Seattle/King County, Washington. A second cohort of public housing authorities now joining the initiative include the Atlanta Housing Authority, the Detroit Housing Commission, the Indianapolis Housing Authority, the Memphis Housing Authority and the New Orleans Housing Authority.

UnitedHealthcare also plans to launch similar initiatives to partner with health centers and community-based organizations to address community health needs in Phoenix; Maui, Hawaii; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Montgomery County, Maryland; Detroit; Jackson and Clay counties, Missouri; Hinds, Copiah and Warren, Mississippi; Chester, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; Buffalo, New York; Las Vegas; and Providence and Newport, Rhode Island.

THE LARGER TREND

Research shows that 80{f08ff3a0ad7db12f5b424ba38f473ff67b97b420df338baa81683bbacd458fca} of an individual’s health is determined by what happens outside of a doctor’s office. There are specific local underlying causes that trend in a community and create complex health challenges and barriers for individuals and communities, such as lack of safe and affordable housing, healthy food and financial stability. 

In the U.S., there are more than 2 million people in public housing. Nationwide, children in subsidized housing have the lowest rate of enrollment in kindergarten.

FQHCs are rooted in local communities and are intended to close access gaps. In fact, 29 million Americans receive care at a FQHC each year, including one in 12 people, and one in five people on Medicaid, according to UnitedHealthcare. FQHCs serve about 23{f08ff3a0ad7db12f5b424ba38f473ff67b97b420df338baa81683bbacd458fca} of UnitedHealthcare Community and State members at more than 1,300 clinics across the country.

UnitedHealthcare is also investing in programs and partnerships focused on food, transportation and social isolation, including $80 million to fight the pandemic and support vulnerable minority populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: [email protected]