Upstream Solutions

Making the best of fragmented systems.

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“If we’re not looking at the whole person, or how some of their medical diagnoses may be the result of short-term or long-term social determinants, we’re not going to cure them,” Colasanto said. “We’re not even going to repair them.”.

Nonprofits that work alongside acute care facilities have reported better connections since the online system was launched.

“What’s been challenging is the feedback loop with health care entities. My staff would spend a significant amount of time making sure we could let the hospital know that a patient had connected with us,” said David Morgan, president of the nonprofit TEAM Inc. in Derby, which helps people access food, housing and other services.

With the digital system, “it happens seamlessly,” he said. “You can immediately see that people are getting services, and it saves a lot of time.”

Hospitals, nonprofits tackle social determinants of health with digital network of providers Doctors have long acknowledged that social factors like transportation and housing influence people’s health outcomes.