Findhelp & the Dept. of Education Partner to Support Missouri Families and Children

We’re very proud to announce that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Childhood (DESE OOC) has chosen us as their technology partner to help families with children from prenatal to age five find and connect to early childhood programs and resources. Together, we’ll support Missouri families and children throughout the state.

 

In this week’s blog, we’ll highlight this new partnership and explore our history of supporting social care in Missouri. Stay tuned for a follow post about how we work with organizations to support early childhood intervention. 

About the Missouri Office of Childhood

The DESE OOC oversees many statewide programs – including Parents as Teachers, Child Care Subsidy, and Early Intervention – that each have their own specific needs and requirements. 19.3% of children under 5 years of age in Missouri live in poverty, and the Missouri Family Resources platform (powered by Findhelp) supports more than 250,000 families in addition to state and local navigators who work on-the-ground in communities across Missouri. 

Making it Easier for Families to Get Help

When it comes to self-navigating, 60% of Findhelp users search for help on their phones or other mobile devices. Findhelp community-facing platforms often have 5x as many searches and connections as customer staff sites, demonstrating the desire for individuals to find and connect to resources on their own. 

Users may hesitate to share personal social needs with navigators due to shame or stigma, so it’s important to provide easy ways for them to self-navigate anonymously, at a time that’s convenient for them.

To meet families where they are, Findhelp built a mobile application for Missouri Family Resources that families and navigators can download to find and connect to programs directly from their phones. The app can be accessed for free through Apple or Google.

Analytics to Take Action

In addition to providing an intuitive database and platform for community members, the Missouri DESE OOC will also benefit from Findhelp’s robust data and analytics to better support Missouri families and children. For example, the chart below shows searches in Missouri over the past two years, broken down by social need category:

These insights will help the State identify local and statewide trends, track needs, and spot issues, enabling them to be proactive in helping more people–all while protecting user privacy. Informed by data, they can strategically allocate resources and tailor interventions.

A History of Supporting Missourians

One of the reasons the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education chose Findhelp is because we have an engaged network that’s already in place. Our network spans the entire Show-Me State and Missourians across the state are using our platform to find and connect to needed services and support. 

• 728,615 users statewide 
• 3,103,744 searches statewide
• 7,837 listed programs serving Missouri
• 1,290 claimed programs serving Missouri

Findhelp’s data and analytic tools can identify gaps in services and provide actionable insights to inform public policy. For example, over the past two years, monthly users and searches on findhelp’s network in Missouri jumped 551% and 11,438% respectively, reflecting our important (and rapidly growing) role in connecting Missourians to local social assistance. 

Partnering for Impact in Missouri 

As of April 2024, we partner with more than 15 customers through the state to connect their patients, members, students, constituents, and clients to local resources. 

Here are some highlights of how these organizations successfully partner and innovate with Findhelp to lift up their communities.

Home State Health Plan (part of Centene)

Home State Health Plan aims to care for patients throughout Missouri by partnering with physicians, specialists, hospitals, and other providers to ensure each member receives the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.

For almost a decade, Home State Health Plan has relied on Findhelp as their social care technology partner. 

• In 2015 they launched their social care platform (powered by Findhelp) to make it easy for their Medicaid members across Missouri to find help and receive services to improve health outcomes.
• Since launch, more than 74,000 staff and members have made almost 160,000 searches for social care resources.
• Home State Health Plan’s platform is a trusted resource for community health workers (CHWs) across the state who make sure all counties are served and there are no gaps in coverage.

Saint Luke’s of Kansas City

Saint Luke’s Health System includes 14 hospitals and campuses across the Kansas City region, home care and hospice, behavioral health care, dozens of physician practices, a life care senior living community, and more. 

5 years ago, in 2019, Saint Luke’s launched their Findhelp platform to support wellness for their patients and community.

• Over 47,000 staff and patients have used the platform to make more than 5,000 connections to resources. 
• Since launch, Saint Luke’s has partnered with us to build an accountable social care network that enables intervention for non-clinical factors that impact care by connecting patients with community partners. 
• As part of this work, Saint Luke’s worked with Findhelp to build a Trusted Network of seven community partners. To-date, over 500 referrals have been placed to these partners, with a closed-loop rate of 87%. 
• Saint Luke’s integrated their Findhelp platform fully into their electronic health record (EHR) and patient portals to support more efficient workflows for all users.

Children’s Mercy

Children’s Mercy is a leading independent children’s health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, breakthrough innovation, and educating the next generation of caregivers. They transform the health, wellbeing and potential of children, with unwavering compassion for those most vulnerable. 

In the fall of 2020, Children’s Mercy’s launched their LiftUpKC platform (powered by Findhelp) for their patients and staff, to support Missouri children and families.

• In a few short years, more than 36,000 staff navigators and patients have conducted over 300,000 searches on LiftUpKC.
• The platform is fully integrated into two separate electronic health records (EHRs) used by Children’s Mercy, helping to connect patients more easily to resources while maintaining interoperability and supporting staff workflows.
• Children’s Mercy has also created strong partnerships with local community organizations. These supportive community partnerships have allowed an additional 600 patients to be referred to organizations that can assist them with housing, utilities, food resources and more!

Support Families and Children with Findhelp

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as witnessing violence, not having enough food to eat, or experiencing homelessness or unstable housing can impact the health and wellbeing of children well into adulthood.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), “ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. ACEs can also negatively impact education, job opportunities, and earning potential.”

Addressing the social needs of young children is a proven way to prevent ACEs; connect with us to learn more about how we can partner to support families.