Nonprofits Archives

Findhelp Acquires Kiip

We’re proud to announce Findhelp’s acquisition of Kiip, a pioneering New York-based startup known for its innovative approach to reducing administrative burdens for at-risk populations and service providers.

Founded in 2021, Kiip has helped a range of community-based organizations (CBOs) improve how they deliver services to populations in need. They use a human-centered approach that gives individuals free storage for their most vital documents, plus transparency into their applications for services and benefits.

Findhelp’s acquisition of Kiip will further enable our existing technology by integrating their two-sided platform. Kiip was built specifically for CBOs to simplify and streamline their workflows and interactions with those seeking services. Like Findhelp, they also provide a free set of tools for those seeking help.

“At Findhelp, our goal has always been to simplify the complicated process of getting help. We have built the nation’s largest and most active network of programs, serving leading health systems, state, local governments, and community-based organizations throughout the country. The Kiip team understands how important a good user experience is in the social sector, and have built innovative technology that complements Findhelp’s mission and product suite. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Noah and the team and I know they’ll be a valuable part of our future.”
Erine Gray, Founder and CEO of Findhelp

Together, we’ll provide a powerful end-to-end approach to social care solutions. Findhelp’s acquisition of Kiip marks a significant step forward in helping individuals seamlessly access critical benefits.

Findhelp’s Acquisition of Kiip: Reducing Administrative Burden for Social Service Providers

A critical pain point throughout the social care ecosystem is the friction people face in discovering and applying for benefits and services. It’s a struggle to find and retain the personal documents needed to apply for and maintain those benefits and services. This leads to increased application failure rates, churn, and work for CBOs and their staff.

Findhelp’s acquisition of Kiip eliminates these pain points for CBOs and provides strategic alignment that leverages technology to improve lives.

Findhelp's acquisition of Kiip will enhance their existing technology for CBOs.

“Joining forces with Findhelp represents an exciting opportunity to scale our combined impact. By integrating Kiip’s technology with Findhelp’s platform, we can transform how organizations deliver social care services, streamline their processes, and improve their success rates in getting people the help they need, while significantly improving how individuals access and engage with essential social care services.”
Noah Harlan, Founder and CEO of Kiip

The acquisition will strengthen our position as a leader in social care software. By combining Kiip’s expertise in the experience of individuals seeking help with Findhelp’s robust platform and extensive network of programs, we’re building a better social safety net.

Findhelp’s History of Support for CBOs

Organizations like United Way, libraries, disaster relief organizations, medical associations, and many other nonprofits serve as the foundation of support for their communities. We make it easy for local, regional, and national organizations to connect people to services and follow up quickly.

Use our tools to streamline care management and client intake while increasing your impact.
Ensure that your clients are receiving the help they need, from both within and outside of your organization’s programming.
Evaluate the needs in your community to expand or adapt your strategic programming.
Submit claims and get paid for services provided.

Findhelp has been such a valuable tool for our organization. We’ve used it to directly support residents in need of food and other social services and connect organizations and community leaders looking to serve new clients. The pandemic really underscored the need for a more coordinated and connected social service network – the tools and resources available from Findhelp have been essential to helping our community navigate the complex web of government and non-profit resources. By connecting our community through this referral network, we’re facilitating more effective and scalable approaches to social services and community care.
Julia Groenfeldt, Program Manager, Prince George’s County Food Equity Council in Maryland

Work With Us!

Connect with one of our expert team members to explore Findhelp’s solutions.

Partnering to Support Pennsylvania and Give CBOs a Seat at the Table

We are very proud to announce our partnership with the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) to lead community engagement efforts in support of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ project to build a statewide online tool called PA Navigate. We’re partnering to support Pennsylvania.

Findhelp, CAAP, and CAAP member agencies are conducting outreach to local CBOs and onboard them to the PA Navigate platform.

CAAP will host local and regional listening sessions to ensure that CBOs are equal members of this collaborative effort to improve health outcomes for Pennsylvanians by addressing the social determinants of health (SDoH).

PA Navigate: a Platform for All Pennsylvanians

Built on the Findhelp closed-loop referral platform and network, PA Navigate (powered by Findhelp) is a statewide community information network, designed to address health and social care needs for Pennsylvanians by connecting them to community services.

In addition to Pennsylvanians using the platform to find help for themselves and their families, social service agencies, local nonprofits, community-based organizations, county and state agencies, and healthcare providers can also help make connections to services on behalf of individuals and track referral outcomes to ensure that people’s needs are met.

Partnering to Support Pennsylvania

Findhelp has partnered with the HIE Consortium members (Central PA Connect, ClinicalConnect HIE, HealthShare Exchange, and Keystone Health Information Exchange) to build and support PA Navigate. Consortium members will use the platform to assess the SDoH needs of Pennsylvanians and refer them to providers, with dignity and ease.

“We have built a strong relationship of trust with Pennsylvanians and are excited to work with our new partners to help more residents in need,” said Findhelp Founder and CEO Erine Gray. “Every member of the Consortium cares deeply about the people of the Commonwealth.”

Protecting Privacy

A key benefit of the PA Navigate platform (powered by Findhelp) will be its ability to allow healthcare providers to see the most complete view of an individual’s social care history and current status – to ensure Pennsylvanians are getting the help they need in the most efficient manner possible – while guarding their privacy and ensuring unrivaled protection of their personal information.

The Impact of Community Action Agencies

The federal Office of Community Services (part of the Administration for Children & Families, under the Health and Human Services Department) is celebrating May as Community Action Month in honor of 60 years of Community Action Agency (CAA) successes in reducing poverty, revitalizing communities, and empowering individuals and families. Read on to learn more about CAAs, their funding, and impact.

Community Services Block Grants

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program, founded in 1964, combats the causes and consequences of poverty through Community Action. On average, CSBG serves more than 9 million individuals every year, in 99% of counties across the country.

CSBG provides direct federal funds to entities nationwide so that, informed by regular Community Needs Assessments, they can understand and address the unique needs of their community’s most vulnerable members.
Tribes, territories, and over 1,000 local Community Action Agencies provide CSBG-funded services and activities including housing, nutrition, utility, and transportation assistance; employment, education, and other income and asset building services; crisis and emergency services; and community asset building initiatives, among other things.
In FY 2022, $755 million was distributed to participating CSBG entities.

Supporting CAAs: the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania

The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) is the authority on addressing poverty in Pennsylvania and a statewide membership organization that represents CAAs in the Commonwealth.

CAAP is the primary source of advocacy, technical assistance, collaboration, and networking for Pennsylvania CAAs.
They represent 42 CAAs across the Commonwealth: public and nonprofit community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
While the approaches and programming is unique by Agency, all are unified in meeting the health-related social needs of their customers.

Partnering for Success in Pennsylvania

More than 1.5 million Pennsylvanians have already used Findhelp to connect with social care services. As of May 2024, we partner with 35 customers to connect their patients, members, students, constituents, and clients to resources. The PA Navigate initiative will bring an additional 100 participating provider entities to the Findhelp Pennsylvania Network.

Next Steps for PA Navigate & Pennsylvania

On January 23, 2024, PA Navigate introduced their public-facing website, pa-navigate.org, the first step in a multi-year project. Not only can individuals find help for themselves via the platform, but local nonprofits, healthcare organizations, state and county agencies, and community-based organizations can refer individuals. These agencies can also track the outcomes of these referrals to ensure individuals’ needs have been met.

Recently, Dr. Arkoosh, the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) spoke at Findhelp’s annual user conference, Connect: a Social Care Summit. Gabe Roberts, the former Deputy Director and COO of TennCare (the State of Tennessee’s Medicaid Agency), interviewed Dr. Arkoosh for our opening keynote. She shared her experience with addressing health-related social needs through innovative Medicaid programs like 1115 waivers and social care reimbursement. Watch the interview below!

We Can Help Your Constituents

To learn how we can help you support your constituents, connect with our team.

Impact in Action Video: How Mainely Teeth Provides Whole-Person Care for Dental Patients

In honor of National Dental Hygienist Appreciation Week, we’re spotlighting the work of Amber Lombardi, a dental hygienist from Maine who is on a mission to revolutionize access to dental care through Mainely Teeth. Read on to learn more about Amber’s story, the impact she’s having on underserved and underinsured communities, and the impact that Findhelp’s tools have had on her work.

Limited Access to Care

Despite being a crucial component of our overall health, access to oral healthcare remains an elusive privilege for many people across the United States. A study conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA) showed that more than 15% of Americans needed dental care but did not obtain it, and financial barriers were the top reason. Many providers don’t accept patients with Medicaid, and people living in rural communities are sometimes more than an hour drive from a dentist’s office.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, searches for “dental care” on Findhelp platforms have risen steadily. In 2023 alone there were more than 215,000 searches for dental-related services.

Searches for Dental Care on Findhelp Platforms

“The traditional model of care has been working very well for some, but it has completely blocked other people,” said Courtney Vannah, Program Manager of Oral Health Initiatives at MCD Global Health. “It needs a revolution.” That’s where Amber Lombardi and Mainely Teeth come in.

Mainely Teeth: Filling the Gaps

Amber brought her passions for dental hygiene and public health to Maine after learning about the need for better access to care there. For more than a decade, she dreamed of creating a mobile dental clinic that she could use to reach people all over the state.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the schools where she had been providing cleanings and oral health screenings, Amber knew it was time to build the clinic.

She and her husband, Mike, went all-in on the dream and co-founded a nonprofit called Mainely Teeth. Built out of a converted horse trailer, the clinic-on-wheels was road ready in two months.

Drawing on her own past struggles as a single mom with two young kids, Amber works tirelessly to ensure access to quality care for the most vulnerable. People from all walks of life receive treatment through Mainely Teeth, which has expanded to physical offices in addition to the traveling clinic. Their patient population includes asylum-seeking families from all over the world, toddlers in Head Start programs, high school students, children and adults with developmental disabilities, and elderly military veterans.

Impact in Action: Whole-Person Care for Dental Patients

Our Impact in Action video series explores stories of how our customers successfully partner with Findhelp to positively impact their communities and support the populations they serve.

Mainely Teeth uses the Findhelp platform for all of their inbound referrals, partnering with other organizations and care providers to reach more and more new patients. They also use Findhelp to identify patients who are struggling to meet their basic needs, and to connect those people with helpful resources.

Watch the short video below to learn more about how Mainely Teeth partners with us to expand access to dental care and support the oral health of individuals in need.

Amber continues to advocate for better access to oral healthcare for all as Mainely Teeth expands its reach using advancements like oral health cameras and teledentistry, and they hope to serve as a model for systemic change across the country.

Amber’s story is alsods the subject of our newest Findhelp Films documentary, Filling the Gaps, which will be released this summer.

Partner With Us To Expand Access to Care

If you’d like to learn more about how we partner with CBOs and customers nationwide and can help you build or expand your social care strategy, grab some time with us.

Welcome Home: Helping Immigrant and Refugee Families Thrive

Many American cities, counties and towns are experiencing a surge of newly-arrived immigrant and refugee individuals and families. The New York Times has described some of these towns as “welcoming but worried”. Communities have found many of their public and private social services overwhelmed by unexpected placement of refugees.

Connecting to these services can be a complicated and overwhelming task due to cultural, economic, and language barriers. We partner with government agencies and community organizations responsible for providing vital, life-saving services to those just arriving, and our technology enables both self-referrals and assisted navigation to housing, food, healthcare, legal aid, and other resources.

How the Findhelp Platform Supports Immigrants and Refugees

The programs that are part of the Findhelp network are as diverse as the people they support. We have multiple ways for users to find the programs that are the best for them or the person they’re helping.

Program Filters

Our search filters can be used to identify programs that serve specific demographics, languages, and cultural backgrounds.
As an example, 55% of the programs in our network provide services in a language other than English.

Digital Equity

Anyone can search and connect to programs anonymously on our platform without logging in, as creating an account and remembering a password can be technological barriers.
To keep the platform easy to use for a wide variety of educational attainment, all of our written messaging is kept to a 5th-grade reading level. We prioritize accessibility compliance and our platform is mobile-responsive, so that we can meet people where they are, via the tools they already use.

Language Support

We provide sitewide translation for 100+ languages (including assessments and screening forms).
We allow users to choose their preferred language for text messages and email notifications from the site.
We share the chosen language preference with the referred-to program so that they can adapt their outreach as needed.

Partnering with Our Customers to Support Their Communities

City of Dallas | TX

The Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs (WCIA) Division of the City of Dallas seeks to bridge the space between newcomers and existing Dallas residents to foster informed understanding and promote shared leadership.

In 2020, they launched their Community Resources platform (powered by Findhelp), allowing community members to easily search for, locate, and connect to the social services they need, in the language of their choice.

WCIA seeks to connect their community to a responsive set of resources, and they’ve strengthened community bonds with local programs by hosting a variety of workshops, partnering with refugee resettlement organizations, and participating in a national campaign to promote naturalization and citizenship.

More recently, WCIA has worked with Findhelp to promote housing and financial resources for immigrant families and partook in the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking

Immigrant Welcome Center | Indianapolis, IN

The Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) collaborates with Findhelp to augment their mission to be a trusted partner and advocate for all immigrants. IWC’s work includes immigrant and refugee programming, collaboration with local leaders, and the assembly of a community-based network of services.

IWC organizes a group of Natural Helpers, volunteers committed to assisting immigrants and refugees as they transition to life in Indianapolis.
Beginning in 2020, they began to use the IWC Connect platform (powered by Findhelp) to connect people to resources outside IWC’s walls.
Helpers curate folders of programs on the IWC Connect platform based on areas of high need, allowing them to quickly share multiple resources at once to address all of an individual or family’s needs.

Watch our short Findhelp films documentary about the work of the Immigrant Welcome Center

How Can We Help You Support Immigrants and Refugees?

Schedule a demo with us to see how we can partner with your organization to address the social needs of the immigrants and refugees you serve and support.

Social Care Without Stigma: How Findhelp Supports People Living with HIV/AIDS

HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, weakens someone’s immune system by destroying their cells that fight disease and infection. While there is currently no cure for HIV, with proper medical care, it can be controlled. If left untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States had HIV at the end of 2021, and of those people, about 87% knew they had HIV (source). CDC data shows that from 2017 to 2021 HIV diagnoses in the US decreased 7% overall, but there were still more than 36,000 people who received an HIV diagnosis in 2021 (source). The CDC has a goal to decrease the number of new HIV diagnoses to 9,588 by 2025 and to 3,000 by 2030.

Darker colors = higher rates of infection.

In this post, the second in a two-part series timed to World AIDS Day on December 1 (read the first part), we’ll discuss the social care challenges faced by people living with HIV / AIDS, how the Findhelp platform is designed to support them, and innovative ways that we’re collaborating with our customers for treatment and prevention.

How Stigma Harms People Living with HIV/AIDS

There is widespread social and individual stigma surrounding HIV: negative attitudes and beliefs about people living with HIV. As a result of this stigma, people living with HIV often face discrimination (behaviors that result from the negative attitudes or beliefs held by others). HIV discrimination is the act of treating people living with HIV differently than those without HIV, because of the stigma associated with the disease.

According to the National Institutes of Health, social stigma surrounding HIV can result in:

Isolation
Social exclusion / loss of social support
Diminished self-esteem
Restricted opportunities for employment, education, and personal relationships

HIV stigma can also lead to “reluctance in seeking HIV testing, disclosing HIV status, or accessing healthcare services, hindering timely diagnosis and engagement in care” (source).

How Our Platform Makes it Easy to Find Help

As highlighted by the American Psychological Association, HIV is a disease that “is embedded in social and economic inequity, as it affects those of lower socioeconomic status and impoverished neighborhoods at a disproportionately high rate” (source). Our nationwide platform only lists free or reduced-cost programs that provide direct services to people in need, to address the social impacts of chronic disease and illness.

Easily Identify Non-Medical Needs

Customers can implement custom or standard social needs assessments on their Findhelp platform. Individuals can self-assess or be helped by a staff navigator.

Based on the responses, the platform will display a curated list of partner resources or a personalized search that highlights relevant programs and services.
Our platform provides filters (“HIV/AIDS”, “AIDS Treatment”, “AIDS-Related Lymphoma”) for people to easily find and connect to both medical treatment and targeted support resources provided by more than 1,200 programs nationwide.
People with chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS often struggle with decision fatigue, and we do our best to make it easy to quickly connect to resources that can help.

Social Care Without Stigma

Our platform can be used by individuals to self-navigate, anonymously and securely. Furthermore, we have a “Don’t reach out” option on our referral form that gives the program a heads up that someone needs their help but keeps the initial outreach in the hands of the individual, as an added layer of privacy.

Our platform is HITRUST certified and HIPAA-compliant.

Supporting People Living with HIV / AIDs

We partner with several of our customers nationwide to connect people to local resources. Here are some highlights of how these organizations successfully partner and innovate with us to lift up their communities.

Siloam enriches the well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS by providing a broad range of integrative mind, body and spirit services and programs. When the city of Philadelphia shut down in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Siloam’s Executive Director, Sarina DiBianca, got all of their classes online in only four days, and used it as an opportunity to open them up to participants anywhere in the world, in part by listing them on the Findhelp platform.

Classes like chair yoga, grief group, trauma support, and breathwork were now available to anyone with an internet connection. Siloam’s Man Cave Support Group and HIV/AIDS Support Group remained reserved specifically for those with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis, but their trauma, grief, and movement classes were opened to the public. These programs were listed on the Findhelp platform, and Sarina turned on referrals in hopes of reaching more people in need of these important mental and emotional health services.

Today, Siloam receives around 100 referrals a month on the Findhelp platform from individuals and care navigators nationwide. Not only does the Siloam team respond to every referral, they also update the status to let care navigators know that they reached out. When Sarina emails a client, she shares all of the programming at Siloam. She knows that someone might have been referred to a yoga class but actually needs the Grief Group. Even if someone isn’t ready to attend right away, they have the knowledge that there’s a safe space waiting for them and lots of different ways to get involved and be supported.

Last week our storytelling initiative, Findhelp films, released a documentary short about Siloam’s holistic work to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

Dallas County has a population of 2.6 million and is the ninth-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Dallas, which is also the ninth-largest city in the United States. It’s a very diverse county, with only 28% of residents identifying as non-Hispanic White (according to the 2020 U.S. census. Their mission is “To provide quality service, public safety, and positive behavior change through the use of effective techniques for the betterment of the community.”

Dallas County is also on a mission to end the HIV Epidemic in Dallas by 2030.

Their EHE initiative seeks to accelerate progress in HIV prevention and treatment to reduce new transmissions by 90% in 2030. The county began the multi-pronged End HIV Dallas County campaign in February 2022 to promote HIV awareness, testing, and treatment.
In February 2023 Dallas County launched their End HIV Dallas platform (powered by Findhelp) to connect residents to resources for treatment, counselors, addressing basic needs, and other vital support.
Dallas County is forging strong partnerships with local organizations devoted to treating and preventing HIV and working with Findhelp to establish a trusted network of programs to serve HIV-affected individuals with dignity and ease.

CommUnityCare (CUC) is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that serves uninsured and underinsured people in Central Texas.

In 2022, CUC launched their Community Resources platform (powered by Findhelp) to provide their staff with a tool to make closed-loop social care referrals on behalf of patients, starting with their Community Health Workers, Social Workers, Care Coordinators, and other patient navigators.
Patient records are available via an integration between Findhelp and CUC’s electronic health record, Epic, which streamlines their work and prevents double-documentation.
The CUC Community Engagement team have also completed Findhelp trainings to strengthen their outreach and engagement with area community organizations that provide resources for patients.

CUC operates a health center dedicated to providing innovative HIV treatment and prevention to those living with HIV and those at a high risk of contracting the disease.

CUC social workers can navigate their Community Resources platform to place referrals to additional resources in the community.
They also promote patient autonomy and anonymous self-navigation via the patient-facing version of the Community Resources platform, which can be accessed through their Epic MyChart patient portal.

The Washington, D.C. Department of Health (DC Health) promotes health, wellness and equity across the District. Their responsibilities include identifying health risks; educating the public; preventing and controlling diseases, injuries and exposure to environmental hazards; promoting effective community collaborations; and optimizing equitable access to community resources.

DC Health launched LinkU (powered by Findhelp) in 2019 in an effort to provide accessible self-navigation services for residents in the greater-DC area seeking support for a variety of social needs. Since its inception, supporting people living with HIV / AIDS has been a primary goal of the LinkU platform.
DC Health’s HAHSTA Division (HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Administration) have consistently used LinkU to refer DMV residents to programs assisting with testing, care management, and social support services for communities impacted by these conditions.
More recently, this group launched the DC ENDS HIV campaign, coinciding with the Positive Voices Podcast which will be releasing its second season in early 2024, and is focused on raising awareness for, and destigmatizing, care resources for HIV / AIDS positive individuals and their loved ones.

Integral Care is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Austin, Texas that supports adults and children living with mental illness, substance use disorder, and intellectual and developmental disabilities through a 24-hour helpline, counseling, drug and alcohol treatment, and housing.

Integral Care launched their Community Referral Hub platform (powered by Findhelp) in 2021, primarily used by their Community Health Workers to make social care referrals for patients and accept inbound referrals to their clinics and programs.
Integral Care serves as the local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Travis County. They provide HIV services including individual and group counseling, education and harm reduction supplies, and direct outreach to community services.

Partnering for Good

If you’d like to learn more about how we partner with customers nationwide and can support your organization’s social care goals, connect with our team.

Supporting Mental and Behavioral Health

Last week we announced our new contract with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) to help state residents find the substance use disorder and mental health services they need. This week, we’re focusing on our deep experience in partnering with organizations nationwide to support mental and behavioral health.

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), 22.8% or 1 in 5 U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2021, and 33.5% of these adults also experienced a substance use disorder. Mental and behavioral health challenges often go hand-in-hand with, or cause, additional social needs.

For example, NAMI’s research shows that the rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness (7.4%) compared to those who do not (4.6%), 21.1% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition, and high school students with depression are more than twice as likely to drop out of school compared to their peers.

Supporting Vulnerable Populations and People in Crisis

At Findhelp, we have a history of partnering with our customers across industries to address the social needs of substance users and support mental and behavioral health.

Our platform includes situational filters to help users narrow their search to programs that specialize in addressing substance use and mental or behavioral health challenges.

Below are a handful of the incredible customers we partner with to address the mental and behavioral health challenges faced by the populations they serve – patients, staff, and the general public. Read on to learn more about how we’re collaborating to support people in need.

Tailoring the Findhelp Platform to Better Serve Your Population

Our platform is designed to allow customer organizations to tailor their displayed navigation categories (food, housing, health, etc.) to fit the needs of the populations they serve. The following customers used this functionality to show groups of programs relevant for folks experiencing mental and/or behavioral health challenges.

Our customer Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest is an innovative partnership that brings together the strengths and capabilities of leading social services and behavioral health agencies serving the Greater MetroWest region of Massachusetts.

These partner organizations – Advocates, South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), Spectrum Health Systems, and Wayside Youth & Family Support Network – encompass expertise in mental health, substance use and addiction, housing, and social support for people of all ages.

MetroWest partnered with us to configure their patient site, MetroWest Care Connection (powered by Findhelpv) to focus navigation categories on mental health, addiction & recovery, emergency services, and more, guiding their patients to the most relevant resources.

To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly in treatment and recovery.

They launched their Findhelp platform in 2018 with tailored navigation categories to focus on programs that offer counseling, crisis services, peer support, and more, and they feature specific community programs that they endorse or work with directly.

Partnering to Expand Care Networks

At Findhelp, we’ve built the nation’s largest social care referral network. The following customers chose to partner with us as an efficient and easy way to expand their existing internal and local networks of social support resources to better address substance use and mental or behavioral health challenges.

Based in Georgia, Highland Rivers Behavioral Health is a behavioral healthcare agency offering services for adults, youth, and families with mental health and addictive disease challenges as well as adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

As a public safety net provider, they serve individuals who have little to no financial resources, as well as veterans and persons with State and Federal benefits such as Medicaid and Medicare. Highland Rivers launched their branded Findhelp platform in 2022 to bolster their current behavioral health service offering to include a diverse array of important social care resources.

Hope For The Day empowers the conversation on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education. They focus on proactive prevention, creating an environment that doesn’t wait for someone to reach a point of crisis to address their mental health.

They launched Resource Compass (powered by Findhelp) in 2022 as a place for people in need to find important information and resources to proactively support their mental health.

Optum is breaking new ground in behavioral health by driving better overall health outcomes while bringing down the total cost of care through both services and tools.

Formerly known as Optum Behavioral Health, they launched the Optum Community Connector (powered by Findhelp) in January 2019 to connect people with community social services while also bringing them into Optum’s internal network of behavioral health providers and resources.

Analyzing Community Trends

All Findhelp customers have access to our native suite of data and analytics dashboards. Many data-driven organizations purchase access to their platforms’ raw data via a SQL connection to build custom reports, understand community needs, and evaluate outcomes.

The following is just one example of how our customers take advantage of this offering to combine datasets from multiple sources and connect Findhelp data with clinical data to better understand the health outcomes of addressing SDoH.

The Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs works with Findhelp through Convergence Integrated Care (CIC), a network of 21 independent nonprofit community and behavioral health agencies throughout the state of Minnesota.

In partnership with CIC, these organizations are not only providing a network of standardized care but also sharing innovations and increasing access to crucial behavioral health services. They launched their CIC Resources platform (powered by Findhelp) in May 2023 for their member organizations to complete social needs assessments, share resources, and follow up on patients’ SDoH needs.

CIC uses Findhelp’s data warehouse through a SQL connection to marry social need data and outcomes in Findhelp to the greater population health data of member organizations, and they also collaborate with the State of Minnesota to improve statewide health outcomes.

Supporting Mental and Behavioral Health, When and Where People Need It

We’re proud of the part we play in helping our customers support vulnerable populations and people experiencing a crisis. To quickly help those in crisis, we partnered with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline last year to add messaging on our platform homepages that guides people to helpful services via text, phone call, or online chat.

We recognize that mental and behavioral health struggles can exacerbate already-tenuous situations so that individuals feel like they’re out of options; our partnerships (like the ones highlighted here) serve to let people know that they’re not alone, and that help is available.

Supporting Colorado’s Drug User Health Hub

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded a contract with the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) to build a Drug User Health Hub. This project, funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will help reduce transmission of viral hepatitis and promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the infectious disease consequences of drug use.

Addressing Substance Use in Colorado

In Colorado, intravenous drug use is the most common risk factor associated with acquiring hepatitis A and C. At the same time, overdose deaths in Colorado have risen sharply since 2019, in line with national trends. In 2020, the state suffered a historic high of 1,477 fatal overdoses; in 2022, that number rose to 1,799 (source: CDPHE).

Substance use disorder programs often focus on treating addiction and preventing overdoses, to the detriment of addressing the infectious diseases associated with injected drug use. People who inject drugs are at high risk for viral hepatitis, HIV, and bacterial or fungal infections, which require costly and prolonged medical care. Despite these acknowledged risks, there are many barriers to accessing longer-term medical and social care services.

Findhelp’s Network in Colorado

One of the reasons CDPHE chose Findhelp is because we have an engaged network that’s already in place. Our network spans the entire Centennial State and Coloradans across the state are using our platform to find and connect to needed services and support.

558,152 users statewide
1,740,226 searches conducted statewide
6,109 listed programs serving Colorado
1,645 claimed programs serving Colorado

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 Colorado jumped 252% and 167% respectively, reflecting our important (and growing) role in connecting Coloradans to local social assistance.

Partnering for Success in Colorado

As of October 2022 we partner with more than 18 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 us to lift up their communities.

Based in Colorado, Denver Health is known for emergency medicine and trauma care; as Colorado’s primary safety-net institution, Denver Health has provided billions of dollars in uncompensated care and serves as a model for other safety net institutions across the nation.

In 2021, Denver Health launched their Community Resources platform (powered by Findhelp); their staff conduct health-related social needs screening for medically-complex patients and care navigators follow up to address identified needs.
Denver Health staff have made nearly 3,000 referrals to social care programs and have integrated their Findhelp platform with Epic’s MyChart application to make it easy for their patients to self-navigate to needed social care services.

UCHealth strives to promote individual and community health and leaves no question unanswered along the way. Their network of nationally-recognized hospitals, clinic locations, and health care providers extends throughout Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska.

Since launching their UCHealth platform (powered by Findhelp) in 2019 to provide a standardized and centralized resource tool to address patients’ social needs, UCHealth has made over 14,000 connections to resources on behalf of their patients.
In partnership with Findhelp, Denver Health, Intermountain, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and others, UCHealth is collaborating locally in the Denver metro area to build a trusted network of community referral partners who are trained on the Findhelp platform.

Early Childhood Partnership of Adams County (ECPAC) is made up of over 80 Adams County, Colorado organizations and family partners building a system of early childhood education, health, mental health and family support so every child is ready for school and can read well by 3rd grade.

ECPAC launched their Adams County (CO) Resources platform (powered by Findhelp) to connect their community partners with families who need help, and to provide a safe and secure way for Adams County residents to self-navigate anonymously if they aren’t ready to reach out for assistance.
Since launching their platform in August 2022, ECPAC has made over 17,000 searches and 2,000 connections and trained more than 100 community referral partners.

Next Steps for the Drug User Health Hub Project

The health hub will focus on the surveillance of viral hepatitis, increased stakeholder engagement in viral hepatitis treatment planning and elimination, as well as improved access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment among populations at risk. In addition, the project aims to deliver comprehensive, outcome-focused approaches to preventing infections associated with injection drug use, reducing overdose deaths, and linking people to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.

Phase 1 is focused on creating a resource directory in the Pueblo area later this year / early 2024.

Supporting Your Community

Schedule a demo with one of our team members to learn more about how our platform can meet the needs of the individuals you serve.

NY 1115 Waiver Program: Meeting the Needs of New Yorkers

More than 30 healthcare, health plan, nonprofit, and other organizations across New York have already implemented social care coordination platforms with Findhelp and are ready to hit the ground running when the NY 1115 waiver program is approved later this year. Read on to learn about proven strategies from some of our current New York customers and successful 1115 waiver programs across the country.

Innovating Medicaid Delivery to Address Social Needs

Why are folks talking about 1115 waivers, and what are they? Section 1115 of the Social Security Act gives states flexibility to design and improve their Medicaid programs by providing waivers authorizing experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects.

1115 waivers are initially approved for five years and can be extended for three to five more years. Many states focus their projects on addressing Medicaid enrollees’ unmet health related social needs and the downstream health impacts.

At Findhelp, we have both a history of successful Medicaid 1115 waiver support and deep relationships across the state of New York and beyond. Our technology supports:

Capturing eligibility and authorization needs
Reporting on services rendered, codes, and data needed for invoicing and claims
Facilitating invoices and payment to community organizations and vendors

Our Network in New York

One of the reasons our customers across industries choose Findhelp is because we have an engaged network that’s already in place. Our network spans the entire Empire State and New Yorkers are already using our platform to find and connect to needed services and support.

1,530,721 users statewide
4,905,024 searches statewide
13,710 listed programs serving New York
2,034 claimed programs serving New York

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 New York jumped 452% and 153% respectively, reflecting our important (and growing) role in connecting Empire Staters to local social assistance.

Partnering to Help New Yorkers

As of September 2023 we partner with more than 30 customers throughout the state to connect their patients, members, students, constituents, and clients to local resources. Our customers know that they can trust us to help them connect their most vulnerable populations to resources and services that can help them, as shown by our Best in KLAS rating for 2023.

A few of the organizations we partner with in New York.

These highlights show how some of our customers successfully partner and innovate with us to lift up their communities.

New York City’s Institute for Family Health (IFH) is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that launched their IFH Findhelp platform in August 2019 to foster meaningful connections between their patients and CBOs like A-Med Supplies, God’s Love We Deliver, Preferred Home Care, and many more. By partnering with Findhelp to build this trusted network of community partners, 94% of IFH referrals receive a response from the referred-to CBO.

In 2021, IFH deepened our partnership by leading an innovative collaboration between Findhelp and UberHealth to provide 2,396 free rides for patients to and from vaccination centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. IFH continues to explore additional innovative approaches to proactive social care and plans to launch additional Findhelp-UberHealth transportation assistance programs in 2024 to ensure patients can attend routine medical care appointments.

Value Network LLC, IPA is a behavioral health care collaborative in Western New York that advances healthy equity, innovation, and transformational strategies. They launched the Value Network Community Connector platform (powered by Findhelp) in December 2021 to facilitate stronger coordination between helping professionals, patients, and the greater Western NY community.

Value Network has used their vast network of providers to strengthen the safety net to address member’s social needs and has led the way with innovative work to create efficiencies in provider workflows by integrating multiple electronic health record (EHR) systems with Findhelp.

Mount Sinai Health System uses their Community Resources Guide (powered by Findhelp) to support all their patients in need and connect them to free or reduced-cost social services with dignity and ease.

Since launching the platform in December 2019, more than 85,000 patients and staff have visited the platform to search the 13,000+ programs available in Findhelp’s New York network. Mount Sinai continues to build robust community relationships and generate social care referrals with an array of partners to holistically support the social needs of their patients.

A Legacy of Support for Medicaid 1115 Waivers

We’ve been partnering with our customers and trusted community partners to support Medicaid 1115 waiver programs since 2019 in Massachusetts and California, and are uniquely positioned and ready to support New York’s Medicaid 1115 waiver. We collaborate with health plans, managed care organizations, accountable care organizations, and community-based organizations to configure workflows and payment processes to fit the requirements of each state’s program.

Massachusetts: Flexible Services

In response to increasing needs surrounding food, housing, and behavioral health, Massachusetts’ department of health, MassHealth, launched their 1115 demonstration waiver program, Flexible Services, in 2019.

Under Flexible Services, MassHealth pays for health-related nutrition and housing supports for certain members enrolled in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). These ACOs pilot evidence-based approaches that address a member’s health-related social needs with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing the total cost of health care for the member.

Starting in 2020, Findhelp partnered with Mass General and Brigham and Women’s Health to launch Flexible Services pilots with 10 community-based organizations.
Midway through 2020 we expanded our partnerships to include Boston Medical Center and SouthCoast Health and trained 7 additional community organizations to improve food and housing outcomes across the state.
Today, we are partnering with several Flexible Service ACOs to support navigation assistance for areas with higher volumes of eligible patients. In the first year of Flexible Services, 99% of patients reported that their participation improved their overall health.

California: CalAIM

On January 1, 2022, the California Department of Health Care Services launched the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) program, an 1115 waiver program to make Medi-Cal more equitable, coordinated, and person-centered. The program covers one-third of Californians and perinatal care for half of annual births and will impact the lives of over 14 million Californians.

CalAIM expands community-based approaches to addressing complex care for high-needs populations, such as individuals experiencing homelessness, serious mental illness, or substance use disorders, or children involved in the child welfare system. Designated navigators coordinate members’ physical and behavioral care, as well as access to critical social services.

Through 14 services such as Asthma Remediation and Housing Navigation Support, CalAIM encourages Medi-Cal managed care plans to address social determinants of health (SDoH) and offer preventative upstream interventions.
Findhelp partners with managed care plans across the state like Aetna Better Health, Health Net (Centene), and Alameda Alliance for Health to support CalAIM. We enable their staff to order more than 445 different social services from community partners.
As we continue to onboard new community organizations and train managed care plan staff on use of the platform, we’ve seen a 40% increase in the number of referrals sent on CalAIM Findhelp sites from July to August 2023.

Looking Ahead to 2024

Our robust data and analytics show what New Yorkers have searched for over the last two years, painting a picture of how needs have changed over time and what gaps currently exist in New York communities.

As you can see, food, housing, and transportation-related needs are among the most common for New Yorkers over the past couple of years. Findhelp has experience partnering with customers across the country to address needs like these, whether it’s via our fulfillment program, Marketplace, by establishing trusted networks of community service providers, or by collaborating with organizations like Uber Health.

When the New York Medicaid 1115 waiver is approved later this year, we’re ready to partner with our existing and future New York-based customers to help them connect their patients, members, students, and clients to helpful resources.

We look forward to collaborating with our existing customers and community partners to advance the work of the New York State Department of Health to connect people in need to the programs and services that can help them; we’re ready to support New York’s Medicaid 1115 waiver.

Partnering for Success

You don’t have to start from scratch with your pilot demonstrations; chat with one of our team members to learn how we can collaborate with your organization to successfully implement New York’s 1115 waiver program, using established best practices and our proven strategies.

Prospective Customers: connect with our Director of Enterprise Sales, Rachel Harris ([email protected]).
Community Organizations: reach out to our New York Community Engagement Manager, Colton Navel ([email protected]).
Policymakers: connect with our Regional Director for Government Relations, CG Niquette ([email protected]).

Social Care Coordination: Findhelp Partners with 211 & United Way

In today’s fast-paced world, finding the right programs and services for those in need can be a daunting task. Findhelp partners with 211 call centers (operated by United Way and other agencies) to bridge this gap by connecting individuals and families with essential resources.

This powerful partnership amplifies our collective impact and serves communities more effectively by:

Sharing information on local programs & services
Using custom messaging on Findhelp platforms to guide seekers to navigation assistance
Providing the technology and database for community care coordination

Aligned Missions

Both Findhelp and 211 call centers share a common goal of connecting people in need with dignified and accessible services. The Findhelp platform has an industry-leading network with an extensive program database that integrates social care into existing systems. The 211 network of more than 200 call centers across the country responds to 21 million requests for help every year. Dialing 211 connects individuals and families to trained professionals who will listen to their stories and understand their needs. Operators will connect them to essential resources in the areas of basic needs, mental health, work supports, youth programming, suicide prevention, and more.

211s are present in local communities across the country. They are operated by United Way, Goodwill, Community Action Partnership agencies, local crisis centers, state governments, and others. By combining our efforts, we can reach more people and make a positive difference in communities across the country.

211 staff and partners provide services to millions of people across the country every year.

Diverse Partnership Models to Support Diverse Communities

These are just a few examples of how Findhelp partners with United Way and 211 to expand our joint impact and serve more people in need. Our work together is tailored to the needs of each community and the specific workflows of the partnering 211 / United Way.

Building Relationships

In partnership with Findhelp, the United Way for Greater Austin (UWATX) launched ConnectATX.org, which acts as a complementary service to the existing 211 call center. The site is part of a broader UWATX effort called the Model Community Initiative, a person-centered framework that brings together various agencies, community clinics, and educational institutions to offer a more holistic delivery of social services.

The ConnectATX platform serves as one of the public-facing entry points for the Model Community system, connecting providers and seekers.
As an extension of 211, ConnectATX care navigation staff spend extra time assessing and connecting seekers to social care.
These navigators use staff-facing Findhelp tools to search for programs, develop ongoing care plans, refer clients, and close the loop on referrals, all while tracking the outcomes and impact of the services provided.

Creating Connections: Mass211 and Massachusetts Medical Centers, and Arkansas 211

Knowing that seekers sometimes prefer (or need) help finding resources, many of our customers choose to add a flyout (pop-up) to their Findhelp platforms that connects individuals directly with a local 211 call center specialist for navigation assistance.

Mass211, the Commonwealth State’s statewide information and referral service, partners with Findhelp to provide phone support for those searching for services on Findhelp platforms. This includes those of our customers Boston Medical Center, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, UMass Memorial Health Care, and Reliant Medical Group. Each of these organizations added a flyout to their Findhelp platforms with a link to call Mass211.
Similarly in Arkansas, we added a flyout on our free public site, findhelp.org, that guides Arkansan seekers to call the statewide 211 for hands-on assistance and matching to relevant programs, 24/7.

Sharing Information: Inland Empire Health Plan & Inland SoCal United Way / 211

Inland Empire in Southern California is a metropolitan area that includes San Bernardino and Riverside, bordering Los Angeles County. Findhelp partnered with Inland Empire Health Plan and the Inland SoCal 211 through the Inland SoCal United Way. Byto enable community care coordination harnessing Findhelp’s technology combined with United Way’s deep community connections.

Their shared site, Connect IE (powered by Findhelp) serves the social needs of over 4 million Inland Empire residents.
It’s available to all community-based, healthcare, and municipal organizations. This creates a system through which patient and community member data can be securely shared, tracked, and analyzed to best coordinate care and improve outcomes.
For navigators using the ConnectIE platform, this approach allows them to also review referrals made for an individual by any other member of the coalition. Seekers retain the right to opt-in and -out of sharing their personal information with any member of the ConnectIE network.

The Future of Our Partnership: Community Information Exchanges

Following San Diego’s first-of-its-kind Community Information Exchange (CIE) launch, many communities have begun exploring this concept. CIEs play an important role in bringing shared language, a shared resource database, and an integrated technology platform to power the work of local service providers. Communities throughout the country offer a wide array of services to people in need but often act in silos, creating inefficiencies and frustration for seekers who may rely on multiple providers to meet their needs.

211 involvement is central to the concept of a CIE because 211s and United Ways are established community connectors. When Findhelp partners with 211 call centerss, they can serve as the entry point for those seeking services through a CIE, providing a warm hand off and follow-up to an ecosystem of providers working together to better coordinate care.

While CIEs may require longer call times and additional assessments by trained 211 care coordinators, the ultimate goal is to build a longitudinal social care record for the seeker. This approach fosters relationship-building, ensuring the delivery of complex support and the creation of care plans with established goals, using Findhelp’s platform as the portal that securely houses this documentation.

Partnering for a Better Future

When Findhelp partners with 211 call centers it exemplifies the power of collaboration in addressing social care challenges. By sharing information, leveraging technology, and promoting community care coordination, we’re making a significant impact on individuals and families in need. As we continue to explore innovative concepts like Community Information Exchanges, together, we’re building a more compassionate and efficient social care ecosystem.

Partner With Us!

Schedule a demo with us to see how we can partner with your organization to support your community!

Connecting Military & Veteran Families with Community Resources

While serving as an Air Traffic Controller with the Marine Corps in Desert Storm, Aaron Harper never imagined the role he would later play in supporting military and veteran families in the US. After medically retiring from the Marines, Harper maintained his connections with North Carolina military and veteran organizations. Through various roles, he began to address a need for improved coordination of resource-sharing and promotion of veteran events and programs. This passion led to a career with Atrium Health, where Harper has expanded his reach throughout the Carolinas. It’s been 30 years since his first tour in Kuwait, and Harper, a fifth-generation Marine Corps war veteran, continues to serve through support of Atrium Health’s diverse impact strategies and initiatives. Central to these efforts is The Community Resource Hub.

In 2017, Atrium Health launched The Community Resource Hub, an online search and referral platform powered by Aunt Bertha. This free site is accessible to the general public and offers more than 1,000 resources for every county across the nation. Within Atrium Health’s coverage area — North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia — there are more than 800 programs specifically for active duty, National Guard, and veteran community members. Individuals have access to a comprehensive array of programs, such as mental health, employment, food, housing, legal and financial aid services, among others.

Support for Nonprofits

Nonprofits can use The Community Resource Hub to refer people they’re helping to other programs. The platform adheres to the highest privacy and security standards and regulations through HIPAA Compliance and HITRUST Certification. Each referral has an individual consent so that clients always know how and with whom their information is shared. Clients can apply personal filters — active duty, national guard, veterans, etc. — to tailor search results, self-refer to programs, and track the status of their own referrals.

Agencies can also access a free suite of intake tools and impact reports, communicate with one another on referrals, and access a host of features to streamline efforts and improve service coordination — all within the platform. The site also offers a variety of impact reports agencies can use to assess their work; these reports can be shared with funders and boards to demonstrate impact and reach. For example, veteran-serving organizations can see how frequently and in what capacity people are interacting with their listing, ZIP Codes with the most searches, and customized outcome data for their programs.

Monthly trainings and local support are always available to help each agency leverage their free suite of tools for maximum impact.

Visit our North Carolina page

Connecting the Carolinas

Harper is excited by the opportunities The Community Resource Hub has provided and its nationwide reach is an added benefit, particularly for military families on the move. As the former manager of Military and Veteran Affairs and current Human Resources strategic business partner, he is “honored to continue leading and advising Atrium Health’s military-veteran strategy along the way.” Harper also serves as elected president of VetCarolinas, where he helps organizations “connect with each other and be of best service for our military members, veterans, their families, and communities in general.”

Atrium Health has a long-standing commitment to both internal and external military and veteran communities. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Atrium Health, formerly known as Carolinas HealthCare System, a Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the department to employers for their support of employees who serve in the National Guard or Reserves. They have since received multiple awards in recognition of their continued dedication.

A Commitment to Our Nation

Thanks to collaborations with customers like Atrium Health, Aunt Bertha has reached 1,000,000 searches in North Carolina, providing access to nearly 10,000 programs across the state since 2015. As the nation’s largest social care network, we are proud to partner with more than 350 customers and 75,000 social service providers throughout the US. We are committed to ensuring that our veterans, who have served with honor, can connect with the programs that serve them, with dignity and ease.

Military/Veterans — Three generations of Marines (From left to right: Sgt Rick LeFebvre, Cpl Frances Cole Prescott, Sgt Cecil Cole and Sgt Aaron Harper), Photo Credit: Jack Cole.

Connect with Us

For more information about our network, trainings, and free tools for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), visit our page for Nonprofits or contact [email protected] to connect with local support in any state across the country!

By the way, who’s Aunt Bertha?

Aunt Bertha is the leading referral platform for social services in America, serving the biggest cities and smallest towns. We connect people seeking help and the verified social care providers that serve them, with dignity and ease. We make it easy for people to find social services in their communities, for nonprofits to coordinate their efforts, and for organizations to integrate social care into the work they already do. We serve millions of users and our platform is used in a wide range of industries including education, government, housing, and healthcare.