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Impact Studies

 

Impact studies examine the impact of a novel system alignment strategy on relevant measures of health and wellbeing for affected populations. These studies build on pilot studies confirming the feasibility and acceptability of the systems alignment strategy and use rigorous research methods to evaluate the impact on measures of health and health equity. As of 2019, Impact studies receive up to $500,000 in total funding to be used over a 36-month period to study the impact of a proposed system alignment strategy. Prior to 2019, Impact studies received up to $250,000 in total funding to be used over a 24-month period.

 

  • Aligning Health and Social Systems to Promote Vaccination Access for Populations Experiencing Systemic Barriers

    This study, funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action research program, assesses effective strategies to eliminate disparities in access to COVID-19 vaccination by race and ethnicity by building on an existing nationwide initiative of the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative (ADVC). The ADVC, administered by USAging with funding from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, supports community-based organizations (CBOs) to facilitate seasonal vaccinations by aligning social services, public health and health care.

  • Can California's CalAIM Medicaid Transformation Initiative Achieve Systems Integration? Identifying Key Facilitators of Cross-Sectoral Coordination for Individuals with Complex Needs or at High Risk

    This study, funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action research program, evaluates the effectiveness of California’s CalAIM Medicaid Waiver program in integrating social service and public health organizations into Medicaid coordinated systems of care for individuals with complex health and social needs. CalAIM is designed to dismantle forms of structural racism by investing nearly $2 Billion in helping Medicaid health plans and medical providers forge stronger alliances with local social service organizations and public health agencies in addressing the complex health and social needs of Medicaid beneficiaries, including paying for nonmedical services needed by these beneficiaries.

  • An Aligned Delivery and Financing Model to Address Food Insecurity and Social Needs of Low-Income Pregnant Women

    This study evaluates the effectiveness of an aligned service delivery and financing model designed to improve maternal and infant health by helping Medicaid-eligible persons receive access to healthy foods during pregnancy. The Nourishing Tomorrow (formerly Nourishing Beginnings) program uses integrated data, screening and referral systems combined with community health worker support to link people in need with healthy food delivery from a local food bank or with direct cash assistance for food purchases.

  • Integrating Health and Social Services through a Novel Independent Practice Association

    This study investigates the impact of a novel independent practice association (IPA) formed among community-based social service organizations (CBOs) to address social determinants of health among residents of upstate New York. The Healthy Alliance IPA allows diverse CBOs offering services for housing, transportation, food, and other social needs to join together in a shared-governance association that facilitates referrals, care coordination, and performance-based contracting with health plans and medical providers.

  • Multisector Task-Sharing to Improve Mental Health in Harlem, NY

    This study evaluates the effectiveness of a multisector task-sharing collaborative in addressing the inter-related problems of mental health disorders, poverty, and housing instability among racial and ethnic minority communities residing in Harlem, New York. The collaborative trains the staff at low-income housing agencies and primary care practices to engage in mental health task-sharing, whereby staff deliver basic mental health support services such as screening, psychoeducation, peer support, and referral to mental health specialists.

  • Social Bonds as a Pooled Financing Mechanism to Address Social Drivers of Health Equity

    This study investigates whether a novel type of social bond can pool resources across multiple competing health plans and create stable, long-term financing for interventions that address social determinants of health. The bond's design would allow multiple health plans participating in Minnesota’s Medicaid program to invest collectively in a fund that finances community-based interventions targeting social issues such as food insecurity, housing instability, transportation, and structural racism.

  • Transit and Treatment: Aligning Systems to Address Substance Abuse in Connecticut

    This study tests how a transit system can enhance substance abuse treatment outcomes and reduce provider-level treatment costs for substance abuse amidst the opioid crisis in Connecticut. Increasing access and retention in treatment services is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing substance abuse overdose deaths. Using a difference-in-differences method, the research project will test how treatment costs differ before and after a new transit line and/or a change in transit service schedules.

  • Aligning Delivery and Financing Systems to Prevent Adverse Child Experiences in St. Louis

    This study tests an innovative model for preventing child maltreatment and adverse child experiences (ACEs) by aligning health and social services for vulnerable families in St. Louis. The Parents and Children Together - St. Louis (PACT-STL) initiative braids together services and funding streams from multiple sectors to assist families with children who are referred to child protective services (CPS) for first-time and low-severity problems.