Findhelp Expands Work with NYC Providers and Health Systems Prior to Launch of the NY State 1115 Medicaid Waiver

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Oct 26, 2023, 09:00 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Findhelp is proud to announce that it has been awarded new contracts in the state of New York. NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), the nation's largest municipal healthcare system, has partnered with findhelp to connect community members with social care services. H+H serves some of the most vulnerable communities in New York, whose needs vary from health care services to housing, food, transportation, legal aid, and more.

As a safety net health system, H+H is committed to making healthcare accessible and affordable. They focus on health and wellness with an emphasis on keeping communities healthy, not just treating injury or illness. They advance health equity by consistently addressing social determinants of health (SDoH) and creating models of care that remove barriers for special populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of illness.

This expanded collaboration between H+H and findhelp comes at the perfect time; the New York State Department of Health (DOH) is awaiting approval of its application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the 1115 waiver amendment: New York Health Equity Reform (NYHER). The main goals of the waiver are to improve health equity in the Medicaid program, and approval is expected in late fall 2023.

Findhelp is also excited to announce our new partnership with Montefiore, one of New York's premier academic health systems. The advanced clinical and translational research at its Albert Einstein College of Medicine informs Montefiore's high-quality care for more than three million people in the Bronx, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley. Montefiore has been at the forefront of research, education, and advancing new care models, including those that address social determinants of health (SDoH). To date, Montefiore has screened almost 200,000 unique patients for SDoH through its Office of Community & Population Health, enabling the system to get to the root of health problems. Through this work, patients are connected with community partners to ensure they get the resources and support required to improve health outcomes.

Beyond H+H and Montefiore, findhelp already partners with more than 30 organizations in New York, including Mount Sinai, Medisys, SEIU 1199 Funds, United Way of New York City, the Institute for Family Health, Bon Secours, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Aetna, and Elevance Health, among others.

At a United Hospital Fund conference this summer, Amir Bassiri, the Medicaid Director for New York DOH, said that the 1115 Medicaid waiver will integrate social care with health care to support population health, improve health outcomes, and reduce health disparities. One key component of the waiver will support the establishment of Social Care Networks (SCNs) to integrate reimbursable social services in Medicaid, such as housing, nutrition, and transportation for non-medical appointments.

"Findhelp was founded on the belief that everyone should be able to find the help they need, when they need it, with dignity and ease" says Erine Gray, Founder and CEO of findhelp. "We are excited to partner with NYC Health + Hospitals and Montefiore, New York City's safety net hospitals, as they join our existing New York customers and community-based organizations to support people in all five boroughs. As the State releases the forthcoming 1115 Medicaid waiver, they'll become part of an existing network already used by more than 1.5 million New Yorkers to find resources from housing and health to food and transportation."

About findhelp

Findhelp is the company modernizing America's social safety net by simplifying the process of connecting people with help. We've built a comprehensive platform of products and services that make it easy to find resources for people, follow them on their journey, and track the impact in a fast and reliable way. Our industry-leading social care network includes more than half a million local, state, and national programs that serve every ZIP Code in the country, from rural areas to major metropolitan centers. Findhelp is headquartered in Austin, Texas and has been enabling healthcare, government, education and other organizations with privacy and security, since 2010.

For more information, visit https://company.findhelp.com.

SOURCE Findhelp