Field Sensing Feedback
Throughout this crisis the DASH PO has been reaching out to our network of programs and service providers to learn what is working (& what isn't) community by community in response to the crisis. Here are some of the things we are hearing:
In Pierce County, Washington the coronavirus has necessitated behavioral health and substance abuse providers and nonprofits to streamline services and strip down barriers to getting help. Elevate Health, a health equity nonprofit, worked with Pierce County Connected, a community nonprofit, to organize 12behavioral, mental health and substance abuse disorder providers across the county to have a single "entry point" during the COVID crisis. Read more.
In Bridgeport, CT COVID-19 has elevated the importance of doulas’ work, alongside OB partners, through the United Way collective impact initiative: Bridgeport Prospers. Doulas have been shown to lower birth risks and decrease labor time. They also serve as advocates in navigating the health system, something that takes renewed significance as our health care infrastructure experiences unprecedented strain. United Way has been working to leverage innovative designs to promote infant and maternal health through their bundled support initiative; the “Bridgeport Baby Bundle.”
The Corporation for Supportive Housing, a DASH Mentor, shifted gears in the COVID crisis to monitor how housing providers nationally can use their own data alongside Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) databases to track info about the homeless population. This has allowed them to help communities across the country prioritize housing for homeless individuals with a positive diagnosis for coronavirus, continue to track supportive housing data and prevent the spread of the outbreak. Download the resource here.