Aunt Bertha Selected by State of Pennsylvania to Build Resource Information and Services Enterprise (RISE PA) Platform

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Aunt Bertha, America's leading search and referral platform of social service organizations, announces being selected to build Resource Information and Services Enterprise — or RISE PA — an upcoming, statewide, resource and referral tool. In partnership with DHS, Aunt Bertha will create an interactive online platform that will serve as a care coordination system for providers, including health care and social services organizations, as well as a closed-loop referral system that will report on the outcomes of the referrals. It will also provide Pennsylvanians with a new portal to gather information and engage with the service providers they need at any given point.

Several vendors across the U.S. participated in the rigorous, 6-month long selection process. The final decision validates the unmistakable value of a bottom-up approach for state governments, in which the growth and strength of the network is driven first and foremost by people, providers, and agencies already using the platform across the state.

The latest partnership expands Aunt Bertha's footprint in Pennsylvania, following earlier collaborations with Gateway Health, Highmark Health, and Geisinger Health. Since 2015, over 182,000 Pennsylvanians have used Aunt Bertha to connect to social services. With Aunt Bertha's technology, Pennsylvania DHS will be able to provide a simple and easy path to refer patients to free and reduced-cost services in their local communities.

"From Aunt Bertha's founding our mission has remained the same — to connect all people in need and the programs that serve them (with dignity and ease)," said Erine Gray, Aunt Bertha Founder and CEO. "We've spent several years helping Pennsylvanians find and connect with social care services, and are extremely proud to now be working with the Wolf administration and Pennsylvania DHS to further serve state residents in the years ahead."

The selection comes after nearly six months of reviewing following the initial Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) in July 2020. The launch of RISE PA is being planned for Q1 2021, and will be rolled out to Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York Counties first. Once implemented, Pennsylvanians will be able to access the new tool from any desktop or mobile device to search for and connect with social care service providers in their community.

RISE PA will also allow service providers to assess an individual's needs during a physician's office or emergency department visit, when receiving case management services, or when seeking assistance from a Community-Based Organization. Based on the usage data collected by the new tool, Pennsylvania DHS and its partners will be better able to identify and remedy social care service gaps that exist throughout the state. Addressing these social determinants of health — including employment, transportation, food security, and housing stability — will be critical to achieving better public health outcomes for the state particularly as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"No one person or provider can help a person fully address all of their needs on their own, and that is okay. We want to make sure that we are focused on how to promote a more holistic approach to health and well-being and that we are ensuring that individuals' and families' needs are met through the delivery of the right service at the right time," said Secretary Teresa Miller, Pennsylvania DHS. "RISE PA will allow us to break down walls in the health care and social service system and improve health outcomes and quality of life for Pennsylvanians at a time when a seamless connection is needed more than ever."

For more information on Aunt Bertha, please visit https://www.company.auntbertha.com.

About Aunt Bertha

Aunt Bertha is the leading referral platform for social services in America, serving the biggest cities and smallest towns. It connects people seeking help and the verified social care providers that serve them, with dignity and ease. Aunt Bertha makes 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. Aunt Bertha serves millions of users and its platform is used in a wide range of industries including education, government, housing, and healthcare.

SOURCE Aunt Bertha

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