Linn County Public Health, in partnership with 19 area agencies, today announced a new collaboration aimed at enhancing communications among independent health and social service organizations to provide better care and measurable improvements in health outcomes.
The collaboration, called My Care Community, is based on a nationally-recognized model and is the first of its kind in Iowa. It allows participating service providers to coordinate services needed to improve the health and wellbeing of area residents who have chosen to join the program. As a result, providers can make seamless referrals to outside organizations, better anticipate the future needs of clients, and improve quality of life for families.
“My Care Community is an innovative model, nationally recognized for its ability to improve health outcomes,” said Pramod Dwivedi, Health Director at Linn County Public Health. “This will be a win both for the organizations that are part of our network, and for the people who rely on their services.”
For clients, My Care Community will reduce much of the paperwork, back-and-forth calls and repeated appointments that normally accompany the referral process. Through the network, clients will stay connected to services and programs that address a range of needs for the whole family, from medical treatment to mental health counseling, homelessness prevention and more. My Care Community will be open to all local residents, and there will be no prerequisites or eligibility requirements for using the service.
Jamie Henley, My Care Community Chair and Community Health Free Clinic Chief Operating Officer, said, “This level of collaboration between this many organizations is almost unheard of. These dedicated professionals have been working diligently for nearly three years, and we are excited to bring this enhancement to the clients we serve to improve lives and health outcomes.”
My Care Community is self-funded by the participating organizations. The collaboration continues to expand and add organizations. A complete list of members and additional information can be found at mycarelinnco.org.
Founding Members include:
- Abbe Center for Community Mental Health*
- Area Ambulance Service
- Area Substance Abuse Council*
- CarePro Health Services
- Community Health Free Clinic*
- Mental Health/Disability Services of the East Central Region*
- Eastern Iowa Health Center*
- Foundation 2*
- Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP)*
- Heritage Area Agency on Aging
- His Hands Free Medical Clinic
- Horizons, A Family Service Alliance*
- Linn County Public Health*
- Mercy Medical Center*
- Metro Care Connection – Cedar Rapids Community School District
- Tanager Place*
- UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Cedar Rapids*
- United Way of East Central Iowa*
- Waypoint Services
- YMCA
*Denotes Steering Committee member.
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Linn County Public Health, an agency within Linn County government, serves more than 220,000 residents of Linn County to prevent disease and injury, promote healthy living, protect the environment, and ensure public health preparedness. Learn more at linncounty.org/health or by calling 319-892-6000. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LCPublicHealth and follow us on Twitter @LCPublicHealth.
