Access to Care

FOCUS AREA

Ensure all families have access to healthcare services and experience improved health outcomes by developing sustainable partnerships across maternal and child health organizations.

Check out tips you can use today

THE PROBLEM

Quality, appropriate care is not accessible to all families

In some areas, quality healthcare services might not exist. If quality services exist, families might not know about them. If families know about the services, they might not be able to access them at the right time or at all. If families can access the services, they might not experience the same quality of care over time.

These barriers have a large impact on families’ health outcomes, and disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), people with limited income, and rural populations.

THE CAUSES

Why is this happening?

Lack of Knowledge About Available Support Services

Community and clinical organizations offer a wide range of services and support for families. But not everyone knows about these resources. This leads to missed referral opportunities, underutilized services, and gaps in families’ care.

Relationships Across Organizations Need Strengthening

Weak connections and poor communication between community and clinical organizations results in inconsistent messaging and decreased continuity of care for families.

THE GOAL

Ensure all families have access to care

Through this focus area, Coffective assists states and communities in ensuring all families experience better health outcomes through increased access to care. Maternal and child health organizations are provided tools and support for developing sustainable partnerships that can effectively coordinate services and build referral systems.

Strengthen Relationships

Develop strong, sustainable partnerships between maternal and child health organizations.

Increase Referrals

Expand organizations’ knowledge of available services so more families can receive appropriate referrals.

Improve Health Outcomes

Improve maternal and child health outcomes, with a specific focus on increasing breastfeeding rates.

Reduce Racial Disparities

Work to eliminate racial disparities in birth and breastfeeding outcomes.

THE SOLUTIONS

Choose how to improve access to care

Coffective supports states and communities in choosing solutions — bundled tools, training, and activities — for improving access to care based on shared priorities and communities’ needs.

LOCAL PARTNER COORDINATION

Connect with local organizations

Local organizations are provided access to Community Match, an online tool that helps them…

Find and connect organizations with similar goals and interests in working together.
Access resources and lessons learned to implement solutions that work.
Use organization profiles to share information with partners and families seeking support.

LOCAL PARTNER COORDINATION & COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Get technical assistance on building referral networks

Strong referral networks play a big part in improving access to care. Local organization leaders can receive technical assistance from a community partnership coordinator on leveraging existing networks and building new connections. Technical assistance includes…

Access to a statewide landscape of services, referral data, and more.
Support in identifying potential community partners and setting up collaborative meetings.
Guidance on learning about partners’ services, priority areas, and referral opportunities.
Tools for creating consistent messaging and increasing referrals.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Learn from other communities improving access to care

Many communities have already had success improving access to care! Local leaders can share with and learn from these communities through…

A collaborative of communities working toward the same goals.
Community partnership coordinators who gather, share, and provide guidance on adapting lessons from other communities.
Regional sharing calls, where lessons learned are shared across states.

TIPS & TOOLS

Start building a referral network today

There are many services and resources offered by organizations in your community. When families are aware of and have access to community resources, they can get the support they need to reach their health goals. Here are just a few activities to get you started on building your referral network today.

Identify local organizations

Identify organizations in your community that serve families and have similar goals. Start with the partners you have already. They may also have contacts for other organizations in your area.

Have a collaborative meeting

Invite local organization leaders to a collaborative meeting. Learn about the services each organization offers, and discuss referral opportunities.

Exchange materials on your services

Exchanging materials (i.e. brochures and handouts), is another easy way to learn more about what services are available in your community. Share your materials with local organizations, and ask for their materials too!

Download the Referrals to Community Partners Toolkit

WHERE WE WORK

States Working on Improving Access to Care

Coffective is working with the following states on improving families’ health outcomes by building referral systems to increase access to quality care and services. Strategies within this focus area were chosen based on shared goals and communities’ needs.