Overview
This toolkit provides practical guidance for healthcare organizations and community-based organizations developing partnerships to address patients’ non-medical needs. It focuses on the organizational decisions, resources, and relationship-building practices that can support stronger and more sustainable collaborations.
What the Resource Covers
The toolkit draws on interviews with health care organizations and focus groups with community-based organizations (CBOs) that have experience in cross-sector partnerships. It identifies seven core areas for organizations to consider when developing partnerships, including Motivations for Creating and Sustaining Partnerships, Cultivating Equitable Partnerships, Understanding CBO Partnering Structures, Agreements and Funding, Data Access and Sharing, Evaluating Partnerships, Opportunities for Growth in Partnerships. The guidance is designed to help partners think systematically about both the practical arrangements needed to deliver services and the relationships needed to sustain collaboration over time.
Key Takeaways for Implementation
Successful partnerships require more than identifying a CBO to receive referrals. Health care organizations and CBOs should establish shared goals, clarify roles and expectations, determine how resources and responsibilities will be distributed, and create processes for ongoing communication and joint decision-making.
Who May Find This Resource Useful
This resource may be especially useful for health systems, health plans, and CBOs that are developing new partnerships or strengthening existing collaborations to connect patients with services that address non-medical needs.
Resource Type: Tools & Toolkits.
Topic Areas: Community-based organizations, health care partnerships, cross-sector collaboration, program implementation.
Population or Setting: Health care organizations, health plans, and community-based organizations.
Publication Date: 2024.
Source: National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
