When it comes to healthcare, Sanford Health goes beyond just caring for physical well-being. The COVID pandemic emphasized the need to assist individuals with food insecurities, transportation issues, access to medications and much more. Sanford Health recently launched Sanfordhelps.com as a resource for patients and the community to overcome socioeconomic challenges. Sanfordhelps.com is a partnership of the national findhelp program.
Lindsay Daniels is the system executive director of care management with Sanford Health. Daniels discusses her role with the platform, the benefits that it provides for the care team as well as how it can impact the lives of our patients and their family members.
“I have the opportunity to support system-wide efforts to improve outcomes, experiences and value for our patients, members and residents. As the executive sponsor for our partnership with findhelp, I am responsible for the strategy and implementation of Sanfordhelps.com for our health system,”
“As a system, we recognize the societal factors that influence health outcomes for our patients,” Daniels continues. “It is our responsibility regardless of the setting or role, to screen and address social determinants of health to achieve health equity for those we serve. Sanfordhelps.com allows coordinated, documented referrals to be placed on behalf of our patients by the care team.”
She adds, “The findhelp resource ensures every member of the care team has the most up to date contact and referral information of the community-based organizations locally and nationwide who can meet the identified needs. The workflow for connecting patients to organizations who can serve them, as well as following up if referrals previously made by other team members were successful, has been improved by our partnership with findhelp, ensuring our patients are able to connect and have that need met.”
Erica DeBoer, Sanford Health’s chief nursing officer, has witnessed firsthand the need for sanfordhelps.com.
“As I spend time in our clinics visiting with nurses and patients, it is clear that the current economic climate is creating significant stress for many patients,” says DeBoer. “Sanfordhelps.com is one way we can break down barriers to resources that can truly help our patients and their families get through this difficult time. I encourage anyone who is experiencing financial hardships to check it out and learn what might be available for you.”
How does it work?
The website can be accessed through this link or through the MyChart app for patients. Once on the website, enter your zip code and select whichever category suits your needs. A list of resources will be provided with information on what the organization does, how to contact them, their hours and a map of where the resources are in the designated area.
“The biggest benefit for our patients is the ability to self-navigate for themselves or a loved one in the location(s) and areas they need assistance,” says Daniels. “We provide a link on every after-visit summary provided to patients, links on their MyChart app, as well as on our Sanfordhealth.org site. Patients can receive from staff information in the format that is meaningful to them (electronic or paper) and in their preferred language.”
The services included on the website are either free or reduced cost and cover options that might not be included with Medicare or Medicaid. The database includes hundreds of resources for patients and will only grow the more it is used.
Daniels says that translating one connection into many, by removing the barrier of who to ask and where to get the help, is a testament of the program’s success. “Because of our partnership, we can understand in real time, the social risks that are negatively impacting our patients and respond to meet them by working with and supporting our community partners who help meet these needs every day outside the walls of our clinics and hospitals. It also provides us the opportunity, when appropriate, to supplement that outside support through our own programs, such as our dignity closets and food closets.”
Daniels concludes, “Our vision at Sanford Health is to improve the human condition at every stage of life and deliver on being the premier rural health system in the United States. Helping connect our patients to our partners in the rural communities is important to achieving this status.”
Findhelp.org is a free, online search and referral platform that lists hundreds of thousands of free and reduced-cost services in every zip code across the United States. This platform is easy to use and serves both people in need and the organizations that serve them. Any program can be listed on findhelp.org as long as they offer free or reduced-cost services. We featured the findhelp.org site in a previous news story.