Elevating the Social Determinants of Health For Best Outcomes with Dan Brillman and Taylor Justice, Co-founders at Unite Us
Jun 3, 2020
auto_awesome
Dan Brillman and Taylor Justice, co-founders of Unite Us, leverage their military backgrounds to tackle social determinants of health. They discuss the importance of coordinated care networks and empowering communities for better service delivery. The duo highlights challenges in accessing care, the role of technology in bridging gaps, and the need for collaboration between health and social services. Their insights on resilience during crises like the pandemic reveal transformative strategies for improving health outcomes in underserved populations.
Unite Us aims to enhance health outcomes by building a coordinated care network that connects individuals to essential resources and services.
The challenges of establishing a reliable data-sharing framework highlight the ongoing need for collaboration among healthcare providers and community organizations.
Deep dives
Inspiration Behind United Us
The mission of Unite Us arises from personal experiences with healthcare inefficiencies, particularly within the veteran and military community. Both co-founders faced challenges accessing employment and education services, realizing many individuals lacked strong support networks. They noticed that organizations operated in silos, making it difficult for those in need to access comprehensive care across health, human, and social services. This awareness drove them to create a solution that coordinates these services to remove barriers to care and connect individuals with the resources they need.
Innovative Technology for Care Coordination
Unite Us focuses on building a robust infrastructure that encourages collaboration among healthcare providers, government services, and community organizations. By allowing these entities to share client data securely, they foster effective communication and coordination of care for individuals with multifaceted needs. The technology not only facilitates referrals but also enables tracking of the services provided and their outcomes, ensuring accountability among all stakeholders involved. This infrastructure ultimately empowers communities to address clients' issues closer to home rather than relying on expensive emergency care.
Overcoming Challenges in Implementation
Initially, Unite Us faced significant hurdles in creating a reliable data-sharing framework among a diverse array of organizations. Achieving consensus on standardized outcomes for employment, housing, and health services proved to be difficult and time-consuming, requiring focused collaboration among various stakeholders. As attitudes towards social determinants of health have shifted, the company now finds itself in a more favorable position, with organizations eager to embrace coordinated care networks. However, ongoing challenges remain, particularly in integrating social care with existing healthcare and funding models.
Demonstrating Impact Through Real-Life Outcomes
Unite Us has shown tangible improvements in health outcomes through its coordinated care model across various populations, particularly highlighting how it benefited individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. One case involved a member who was released from incarceration due to a positive COVID-19 test, requiring urgent access to housing, medical supplies, and health care. Within 48 hours, they were successfully connected to all necessary resources to facilitate their recovery and reintegration. This story, among others, illustrates the effectiveness of Unite Us’s network in improving access to essential services and ultimately enhancing the well-being of individuals.
In this episode, we have a fantastic conversation with Dan Brillman and Taylor Justice - Co-Founders at Unite Us. This outcome-focused technology company builds coordinated care networks of health and social service providers. Dan and Taylor discuss the need for an effective community-wide care coordination network, the challenges of creating a trusted framework, the significance of empowering communities to address needs, and ensure seamless delivery of service to those who need it most and more. They also share their insights on addressing both community-based and cost-of-care outcomes as well as scaling assistance on a community level, especially in this Covid-19 era.