Get ready! NYS will soon be pouring in millions of dollars into the WNY community to fund social care Contributed by Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc
On January 9, 2024, NYS announced that it would select thirteen entities to lead Social Care Networks (SCN) throughout NYS. The entities would be selected through a Request for Proposals process. The Western Region SCN lead will be responsible for Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus Counties and will receive $36 million to be used for the 8/1/2024 to 3/31/2027 contract term. ,The main goal of the SCN will be to reduce health disparities and improve health equity!
What is a health disparity?
Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, and/or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Health Disparities | DASH | CDC
What is health equity? What is Health Equity? | Health Equity | CDC
Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Achieving this requires ongoing societal efforts to:
Address historical and contemporary injustices;
Overcome economic, social, and other obstacles to health and health care; and
Eliminate preventable health disparities.
What is a SCN?
A collaborative network of community stakeholders, healthcare providers, social services organizations, community groups, managed care organizations, government agencies, schools, hospitals, etc., working together to address the comprehensive needs of individuals and communities.
What are SCN services?
Housing Supports
o Navigation
o Community transitional services
o Rent/utilities
o Pre-tenancy and tenancy sustaining services
o Home remediation
o Home accessibility and safety modifications
o Medical respite
Nutrition
o Nutritional counseling and classes
o Home-delivered meals
o Medically tailored meals
o Fruit and vegetable prescription
o Pantry stocking
Transportation
o Reimbursement for public and private transportation to connect to HRSN services and case management activities.
Case Management
o Case management, outreach, referral management, and education, including linkage to other state and federal benefit programs.
o Connection to clinical case management
o Connection to employment, education, childcare, and interpersonal violence resources
Who is eligible for SCN services?
- Those individuals who have traditional Medicaid, Medicaid through a private insurance company, as well as those who have Medicare as their primary insurance and Medicaid as a secondary insurance.
Medicaid High Utilizers (for example frequently seen by a health care professional or hospital)
Individuals with serious chronic conditions (e.g., two or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, COPD, hypertension, etc.) and enrolled in a Health Home (a Health Home integrates physical, behavioral health and long-term services and support for high-needs, high-cost for those with Medicaid insurance. See Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Health Home Information Resource Center Fact Sheet -March 2022)
Individuals with Substance Use Disorder, Serious Mental Illness, or Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)
Pregnant persons, up to 12 months postpartum (or post-delivery)
Children aged 0-6
Children under 18 with a chronic condition (e.g., asthma)
Foster care youth, juvenile justice-involved, and those under kinship care
Post-release criminal justice-involved individuals with serious chronic conditions
What are CBOs?
A community-based organization is a public or private organization that is representative of a community or significant segments of a community, in which it provides any number of services to.
What does this all mean for me?
NYS intends for most of the $36 million funding to go directly to CBOs servicing the targeted communities. For example, the funding will be used for staffing, technology, training, capacity building and community engagement just to name a few ticket items.
Whether you are an existing CBO, looking to start a CBO and/or are in need of social care services and meet the eligibility criteria of the program, this funding is meant to directly improve your quality of life and address the systemic challenges, social injustices and economic barriers that continue to stand in the way!
Who should I contact if I am interested in learning more about the NYS 1115 Waiver Amendment and Social Care Network?
- Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. | Email: info@chcb.net or Phone: 716-986-9199