GREEN BAY – Hospital Sisters Health System is launching a new digital community resource for Wisconsin and Illinois residents.
HSHS Community Connect, powered by FindHelp, will connect community members to outpatient health resources.
It is a large, comprehensive, up-to-date service database for patients at a free or reduced cost.
Residents who leave a hospital stay and need additional outpatient resources can find organizations that will get them the help they need. This includes resources such as personal safety, medical care, food pantries and more.
Community Connect was created to ease the process of finding care after a patient is discharged from a hospital.
Kim Luz-Mobley, system executive director of community health said, “We decided that we really need to better understand what they [patients] were experiencing in the community and have a process to link them with those services after they were out of our facility.”
Community Connect allows providers to reach out to the patients directly, with their consent, rather than the other way around.
“In that type of social care network [Community Connect], that’s not putting the onus on the patient to follow up for their care when they leave the hospital,” Luz-Mobley said.
Referrals from care providers near their community are available via email, text or call.
Patient’s electronic records will also be used, with consent, to find services in the patient’s zip code.
For example, if a patient screens high for one or more of the social drivers of health, they will have a provider reach out to them to make an appointment.
The hospital will be able to stay connected to the patient’s care plan, they will get a notification if they did or did not receive the help they needed.
Luz-Mobley invites organizations in the community to reach out if they would like to join the program for free.
“We are looking to network and connect with organizations that maybe we don’t currently have an established relationship with,” said Luz-Mobley.
Community Connect can show nonprofit organizations how many people are using their services in addition to how many times people search for it.
Community Connect was funded by the HSHS Foundation.
To learn more, visit HSHS.org/connect or email Kim.Luz-Mobley@hshs.org.
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