Population Health

Carrying Out HCGC’s Mission of Optimal Health for all People in Central Ohio through the 
Central Ohio Pathways HUB

By Jenelle Hoseus, MBA, Executive Director, Central Ohio Pathways HUB
 
With its long-standing history of catalyzing collaboration, HCGC took on an exciting new program earlier this year. As of January 1, 2019, HCGC began management of the Central Ohio Community Pathways HUB.

Previously managed by the United Way of Central Ohio, the work was transferred to HCGC, and we have spent the last several months working through the details and creating processes to ensure the success of the program. Through an RFP process, six new Care Coordination Agencies (CCAs) were selected and the program went live on March 1st! We are so excited to have such an incredible group of local partners to facilitate the work of the HUB. The new CCAs are:

• The Breathing Association
• CelebrateOne
• Franklin County Public Health
• Physicians CareConnection
• PrimaryOne Health
• Wellness First (formerly African American Alzheimer’s and Wellness Association)

How the Model Works and Early Successes
The aforementioned CCAs all employ Community Health Workers (CHWs) who work in the local community to find at risk individuals and connect them to services to help them achieve better health outcomes and reduce health disparities.

The 19 CHWs and their 11 supervisors are putting in tireless effort and it’s already showing in the data. In the first twenty days of the program, CHWs have engaged 44 clients and identified 260 Pathways, or connections to care and services, to meet their needs. We are elated that the work has gotten off to such a resoundingly positive start.
​
Many may know the Pathways model in the infant mortality space – where studies have shown remarkable return on investment. Buckeye Health Plan’s study of the efforts in Northwest Ohio showed $2.36 ROI for every dollar spent on the program. We fully intend to use this program for the Infant Mortality Pathway in Central Ohio, but plan to also focus on the other 19 Pathways. Our aim is to utilize all 20 Pathways available through the HUB to ensure people across the region with varying health needs can benefit from the connections made through this model. To learn more about the HUB and the 20 Pathways, visit the Central Ohio Pathways HUB page of our website.

Sharing the work of the HUB with the Community
On March 19th the HUBs from around Ohio came together to host an Advocacy Day at the Capitol to engage and educate our legislators about the work we do. Representative Mark Romanchuk (R), Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D), and Commission on Minority Health Director Angela Dawson came to support our efforts and helped the HUB representatives with targeting messaging for legislative visits. Having their support in our attempts at the Statehouse has been invaluable and appreciated.

On April 18th, HCGC will host a Regional Learning Session focused on Population Health, where we will be holding a specific discussion around our efforts with the HUB. All six CCAs have been invited to come speak about their mission and experiences to date with the model. For more information and to register for the session, please click here.

As we look forward, we are planning to truly make a difference for those most in need in Central Ohio. The work that the CHWs are doing will go on to impact hundreds, even thousands of lives. To be able to be a part of this necessary and impactful work is an honor for the entire HCGC team.  If you are interested in learning more about the HUB, please contact me at jenelle@hcgc.org.

---