Larnette斯莱德

Community Resource Specialist Larnette斯莱德 talks about the role that earned KP Washington a national innovation award

By Larnette斯莱德, a community resource specialist at 安全的赌博软件推荐

在值得信的赌博软件, community resource specialists (CRSs) are members of the primary care team who help connect patients to community-based resources for social needs such as housing, 运输, 照料家庭的支持, 健康食品的获取. 最初是作为一项值得信的赌博软件的一部分发展起来的, the CRS role is now integrated across all of 安全的赌博软件推荐’s primary care clinics and was 进一步评估和改进 通过组织的 学习卫生系统计划. 11月. 10, the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions recognized 安全的赌博软件推荐 and the CRS Program with a 2021年eValue8创新奖. The award honors innovative work and demonstrated results among health plans that are part of the National Alliance’s eValue8 survey of quality and performance. 在这篇博客, we hear from CRS Larnette斯莱德 about what her job means to her and how it feels to be part of an award-winning team. Larnette已经做了将近5年的CRS, serving members at 安全的赌博软件推荐’s Rainier and Renton Medical Centers. 

I started working as a community resource specialist at 安全的赌博软件推荐 because I love being able to help people. 这是我的内心和天性. 作为一个CRS, I know I’m helping people every day by finding resources for them and putting together the pieces of the puzzle that can help them live a healthier life.

Health care can be a maze for people, and I’m here to help them find their way through it. 例如, I recently worked with an elderly gentleman who needed dentures and couldn’t afford them. 他给他知道的社区组织打了电话, but everyone told him he wasn’t eligible for help because he had Kaiser Permanente insurance. Nothing in his records showed that he had dental benefits, and he was confused and frustrated. He didn’t know how to navigate the system or what steps to take next.

So, I called our Bridging Care and Coverage department and found out that, 而他没有牙科保险, 他确实有100美元的牙科津贴. 把这些信息弄清楚, he now qualifies for an income-based program in the community and can get the dentures he needs. 牙齿健康对整体健康非常重要. 戴假牙可以帮助病人获得更好的营养, 好好照顾他的健康, 并且在社交活动中感到更舒适. He is so happy that someone took the time to dig deep into the information to help him get this figured out.

通过CRS项目，我们每天都能得到这样的结果. 我们帮助人们找到护理资源, 送他们去看医生, 以及食物和住房等方面的援助. And that’s what makes the program so special: Our patients are not just coming in and getting a medical diagnosis, 实验室测试, 和一个处方. 我们把病人看作是完整的人, 我们正在尽我们所能照顾他们所有的需求.

crs如何与需要帮助的患者联系

CRS计划被纳入初级保健, and most of our patient referrals come from primary care providers, 护士, 或医疗助理. But we can also get referrals from other departments, including pharmacy and radiology. CRSs are a great resource for our care teams — because we can step in to help with social needs and allow other care team members to stay focused on patients’ medical needs.

Care teams refer patients to us in different ways, including by referral in the medical record. 有时, 当病人在诊所需要立即帮助时, we’re able to do a warm handoff so I can meet with them and make that initial connection face to face. Being able to provide social health support as part of a primary care visit is a great use of patients’ time. 不管我怎么把第一次联系起来, my job is to work with each patient to find the information and resources that can help them.

关键的一点是要始终如一地跟进. Part of our CRS workflow is to schedule follow-up calls with patients — so we can make sure they’ve gotten the help they need. If they haven’t, we continue to support them and advocate for them until they do.

确认CRSs每天所做工作的认可

Playing the role of advocate is probably the most important part of my job as a CRS. 许多病人不知道如何为自己辩护, 所以在他们需要的时候，我帮助他们. 有时 that means being on the phone with them when they call a community organization to ask about specific resources. 有时 that means reaching out to other departments at Kaiser Permanente to answer the questions patients don’t know how to ask. Whatever it takes, I’m focused on helping patients navigate those next steps.

My fellow CRSs and I were so excited when we found out the CRS program at 安全的赌博软件推荐 had been recognized with a 2021 eValue8 Innovation award from the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. The work we do as CRSs can be challenging and heart-wrenching, but it’s so valuable. 我们的病人需要我们. Getting this award is very validating and reminds us all what we’re here for: to make sure our patients have access to all the services and resources they need to be healthy and live a good life. 能参与其中感觉太好了.