HealthInsight Utah, along with Alliance Community Services, Association for Utah Community Health, Utah Health Policy Project and Salt LakeCommunity Action Program – Head Start have been creating a first of its kind health care education program to help meet the growing needs of diverse consumers in Utah.
The innovative approach was recognized by the Cambia Health Foundation with a $185,000 grant to accelerate the work.
These partners recognize the health system is complex and difficult to navigate, especially for those who have not previously had insurance or have had minimal access to or experience with the health care system. The Affordable Care Act has increased the number of people with health insurance, but they are now faced with learning how to use their insurance coverage, choosing from an array of provider types, advocating for their own health care needs and understanding how to choose high quality health care, all while avoiding unnecessary and sometimes harmful care.
HealthInsight Utah will work with these community-based organizations to educate newly insured Utah residents on how to navigate the health care system, utilize preventative services and provide support to meaningfully interact with their health care providers.
“Now more than ever, responsibility for making big decisions about selecting a health plan and deciding how, when and where to access health care falls heavily on individuals,” said Utah-based Cambia Health Foundation board member Jennifer Danielson. “But are we doing enough to help arm people with all they need to know to be wise consumers? Cambia Health Foundation believes there’s room for improvement. That’s why we’re awarding this grant. We believe the HealthInsight Utah team has the proven track record and thoughtfully crafted plan needed to provide consumers here with accurate and timely information about how to make sound health care decisions based on quality and cost.”
“We are grateful to Cambia for investing in our communities’ access to health care and preventative services,” said Juliana Preston, executive director, HealthInsight Utah. “Over the next 18 months, HealthInsight Utah and its community partners will use a targeted and customized intervention that brings prevention education and ‘how to use the health care system’ message to newly insured consumers, in particular, Spanish-speaking patients and families in the West Valley City area.”
The grant provides a unique opportunity to implement the Collective Impact Model, which is the “commitment of a group of actors from different sectors to align their efforts and use a common agenda for solving a complex social problem.” HealthInsight Utah and its four community partners will use this model to move their efforts from collaboration to broader leveraging of resources to achieve a larger impact.
