Medford, Ore.— Jackson Care Connect announced a new partnership with technology company Unite Us to electronically connect health care providers and social service organizations in southern Oregon for the first time. This is an extension of a statewide Community Information Exchange (CIE) called Connect Oregon, which includes multiple coordinated care organizations (CCOs) across the state, including Josephine County-based AllCare Health, plus health care providers and social service organizations throughout Oregon.

Partners in the network are connected through a shared technology platform, Unite Us, which enables clinical and community partners to send, receive and track the status of electronic referrals, address people’s social needs and improve health across the community. Because information about the patient can be tracked in the platform, it also reduces the need for patients to repeatedly share personal and sometimes traumatic stories with multiple, siloed providers.

By helping partners streamline their communications around the patient’s needs, Jackson Care Connect says Unite Us can help make health and social care more efficient and accessible for everyone. Jackson Care Connect is a CCO that coordinates care for more than 50,000 Oregon Health Plan members in Jackson County and is part of the CareOregon family.

"Imagine a woman walks into a local agency looking for help finding stable housing," says Jackson Care Connect CEO Jennifer Lind. "As the caseworker meets with her, they uncover she has additional needs to address, including severe tooth pain and access to food. Unite Us will allow that caseworker to efficiently connect the client to all the services she needs, not just the one she walked in the door for."

Lind explains in this scenario, the caseworker would create electronic referrals to a dentist and to food assistance, and those organizations would follow-up with the client. The caseworker would be notified action had been taken, and the organizations would work together with the client on the best possible outcomes.

Unite Us will launch in southern Oregon on April 20. With AllCare Health also involved, the local region will be aligned in platform use for Oregon Health Plan members, thereby strengthening the social health network in southern Oregon.

Unite Us will benefit the health of the entire community, as partners can use it for all clients they serve.

"The challenges our community has faced over the past year, from the pandemic and economic challenges to the devastating fires, have made it more critical than ever for all providers to be able to communicate seamlessly," says Lind. "Unite Us will help us ensure our members get the care and services they need, and will help prepare us for a better response to the next challenge our region faces."

Unite Us will conduct demos for community organizations and health care providers in February. To register for a demo, organizations can contact Momone Maley with Unite Us at momone.maley@uniteus.com

For a comprehensive list of all stakeholders and to learn more about the network, visit the Connect Oregon website.

For information about Jackson Care Connect, contact Sara King Cole, 503-416-7791, kingcoles@careoregon.org or Elise Burke, 503-416-3736, burkee@careoregon.org.

Download a copy of this press release here.