An infographic provides an overview of Transformative Justice of Williamson County, a program designed to assist qualifying participants who have entered the criminal justice system by coordinating health and social services to improve health outcomes and reduce recidivism.

The research team includes the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Click here to download the infographic.

Cross-sector collaboration and systems alignment can address social determinants of health, improve family well-being and create a more equitable society. The Building Wealth and Health Network (The Network) is a trauma-informed workforce development program addressing both behavioral and financial health. It was created in an effort to align Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid. Read the research brief by S4A investigators at Drexel University's Center for Hunger-Free Communities to learn about the challenges, and proposed solutions, to systems alignment.

For more information about this work, please see the following article: Weida EB, Egan V, Chilton M (2020). How trauma-informed programming to treat social determinants unveils challenges to systems alignment. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. In press.

Overview

New research from Systems for Action investigators at Johns Hopkins University analyzed state government expenditure data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau to estimate U.S. public health spending and found that the official government estimate (Public Health Activity Estimate) is an overestimation of how much is spent on public health. This heightens concerns about spending priorities: the U.S. spends far more on individual medical care than public health programs.

The results of this S4A study can inform decision-making about investments in public health to support COVID-19 response and recovery. Read the one-page report for more key findings and recommended action.

The Delaware Culture of Health Project aimed to increase healthcare access for the probation population by aligning health and social service systems. 

Key elements of the intervention included:

• a health navigator in the probation office to screen and refer probationers
• a cross-system “change team” to connect and empower multiple agencies
• an informational resource guide with health-related information
• a monetary incentive

Read how these strategies were associated with an increase in the proportion of individuals accessing care through a primary care physician. The brief reviews what solution was tested, the research findings and recommendations for action based on this evidence.

Details

Project: Implementing a Culture of Health among Delaware's Probation Population
Resource: Download
Date: 08/24/2020

Overview

An article published in the Foundation Review entitled, "Using Social Network Analysis to Understand the Perceived Role and Influence of Foundations," introduces a tool to assess collaboration among organizations and its outcomes known as social network analysis (SNA). To read the article in full, click here. 

DOI: 10.9707/1944-5660.1505

Overview

This Health Affairs blog post summarizes results from a study investigating the impact of Community Care Connections (CCC), a community-based aging services provider located in Rochester, New York, which aims to integrate social services into medical systems of care to meet the aims of improved patient experience, better patient health, and lower health care costs.

Click here to read the full text:

“Working Across Sectors To Improve Health For Older People: The Community Care Connections Program, " Health Affairs Blog, January 30, 2020. DOI: 10.1377/hblog20200129.627279

The July 2018 policy brief “Trauma-Informed Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: A Randomized Controlled Trial with a Two-Generation Impact” examines the effectiveness of trauma-informed peer support with financial programming on improving physical, mental, emotional and financial outcomes. The full brief on the Center for Hunger-Free Communities website can be viewed here. 

The Building Wealth and Health Network is an opportunity for parents and caregivers of young children to increase their income and savings, improve health and wellbeing, shape their own futures, and to do so in a community of their peers. The Network does this through three main components: Financial Self Empowerment Classes, Matched Savings Accounts, and Surveys.

Post-program outcomes indicate positive impacts on food security, self-rated health, depression, employment, and savings account participation.