Maumee, OH August 5, 2022 -- Pathways Community HUB Institute (PCHI) - a national nonprofit that has developed a transformative care coordination model that helps communities work together to support their under-resourced populations – is excited to announce it has received a $600,000 grant from Johnson & Johnson’s Our Race to Health Equity (ORTHE) Initiative. Johnson & Johnson aspires to help eradicate racial and social injustice as a public health threat by eliminating health inequities for people of color. The grant will enhance the technical assistance and training opportunities PCHI can provide to communities across the US who are in varying stages of implementing the PCHI® Model to move toward health equity.
“PCHI and Johnson & Johnson share a common goal of promoting health equity solutions. We are thankful to Johnson & Johnson for supporting communities committed to improving coordination and access to much-needed resources by implementing the PCHI Model,” said Jan Ruma, president and CEO of PCHI.
The PCHI Model℠ is a framework for communities to work with multiple stakeholders to align efforts and form a successful, community-based care coordination network that addresses the social determinants of health and connects residents to services including health, housing, transportation and other basic needs. Developed by PCHI, the Model uses a value-based payment methodology that brings together community organizations, resources, and services – hospitals, clinics, health plans, community health workers and others – to identify individuals with modifiable risk factors – medical, social and behavioral – and connect them to services, track outcomes, and contract with payers that directly tie payment back to those outcomes.
Currently, the PCHI Model is being implemented in 40 communities in 17 states. Central to the Model are community health workers (CHWs) - frontline public health workers who are both trusted members of a community and have a close understanding of the needs of under-resourced residents. CHWs build relationships with clients, serve as the liaison between health and social services, facilitate client access to services and improve the quality of care.
Johnson & Johnson’s grant is helping PCHI assist communities in implementing the PCHI Model and train CHWs in 10 communities across Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, California and Alabama.
The Fresno Community Health Improvement Partnership (FCHIP) in Fresno County, CA, has recently begun implementing the PCHI Model as part of its newly developed Fresno HOPE Pathways Community HUB. The Johnson & Johnson grant will help train its CHW workforce.
We are committed to making Fresno a place where all communities have the necessary support and care to thrive,” said Ashlee Hernandez, Program Director, Fresno HOPE Pathways Community HUB. “The PCHI Model allows us to create a Pathways Community HUB with a coordinated, structured approach to identifying and meeting the needs of our community. Central to this is developing a sustainable workforce of community health workers who will provide residents with the linguistically appropriate services needed to access local resources and services in the county equitably.”
PCHI continues to work with communities across the country on community-based care coordination and looks forward to working with Johnson & Johnson and its other partners to drive health equity for all.
“Transformational work is happening in communities all across the U.S. We are excited about the future and our ability to support communities in addressing the social determinants of health and breaking down barriers that will afford access to care and services to those who need it the most,” said Sarah Redding, MD, MPH, founder, PCHI.
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