Service will Improve Access to Medical & Social Services, Ease of Care Coordination & Access to Community Resources
Santa Cruz Health Information Organization (SCHIO), one of the oldest and most advanced multi-stakeholder health information exchanges in the U.S., is partnering with United Way of Santa Cruz County’s Santa Cruz 2-1-1 Program.
The new partnership, projected to launch in the first quarter of 2023, will close the communication loop between medical care and social services to provide a comprehensive care approach that enhances the wellbeing of everyone in our community.
Santa Cruz 2-1-1 service is available 24/7 for free in English and Spanish, to support callers and texters with information about health and human services available to them.
“United Way of Santa Cruz County is thrilled to participate in the Health Information Exchange to close the loop on communication to ensure quality and complete care,” said Keisha Browder, CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County. “Our 211 Santa Cruz County wants to ensure that people can access vital services that will get them back to greater stability in their health”.
The initial focus of the 2-1-1 partnership with the SCHIO will be information sharing of referrals related to housing, transportation and food services. Through the integration of SCHIO’s data and technology, 2-1-1 will be able to offer access to comprehensive healthcare and social services.
SCHIO connects more than 100 local organizations — including hospitals, primary care, and specialist medical providers, federally-qualified health centers, county clinics, labs, radiology, mental health, substance use treatment, community service providers and others — to make information, with patient permissions, widely available and meaningful in a secure and private manner. The result is the efficient exchange and integration of health and social information into the care process. The SCHIO platform allows participating providers to send and/or receive referrals and care summaries, send alerts about patients to providers upon hospital admission, discharge and transfer and communicate with care team members outside the patient’s primary care provider.
“We’re closing the loop on communication to help ensure great, complete care for patients. So often, issues that don’t have anything to do with medicine get in the way of a person’s future health — lack of housing, transportation, physical mobility, or access to nutritious food,” said Dan Chavez, executive director of SCHIO. “Now, doctors can encourage patients to text or call 211 and sign up. Once they’re signed up, we can share information with the doctor or care provider to ensure patients get what they need after they leave a healthcare setting.”
ABOUT 2-1-1 SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
2-1-1 Santa Cruz County, a program of United Way of Santa Cruz is the comprehensive information and referral service for Santa Cruz County. We connect over 7,000 Santa Cruz County callers and texters each year with information about health and human services available to them. 2-1-1 Santa Cruz County phone and text service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 2-1-1 is available in 150 languages through phone interpretation services. During times of disaster, 2-1-1 provides incident-specific information in coordination with local emergency services, including road closures and shelters both locally and nationwide. BY PHONE: Dial 2-1-1 from a landline or cell phone in Santa Cruz County or by dialing our toll-free number (831-713-4111). BY TEXT: Text your zip code to 898-211. ONLINE: Search the 2-1-1 resource database online at www.211santacruzcounty.org
ABOUT SANTA CRUZ HEALTH INFORMATION ORGANIZATION(SCHIO)
Established in 1996, the Santa Cruz Health Information Organization (SCHIO) is one of the oldest and most advanced multi-stakeholder health information exchanges in the country. SCHIO connects more than 100 organizations including primary care and specialist physician groups, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, county clinics, providers of mental health and substance use disorder services, community service providers, national and local reference labs, imaging centers and ancillary providers. Through comprehensive information curation and sharing, SCHIO advances the wellbeing for everyone in our community. Learn more at www.santacruzhie.org.