The Challenge
Areas with high poverty also have higher risk of poor health outcomes and death. Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood was such an area. Addressing these individual or systemic determinants of health and disrupting the cycle of poverty requires a collaborative approach. Communities must mobilize agencies from various disciplines and foster a system where community health workers are integral to the solution.
However, some of the biggest obstacles to address these issues for Atlanta were 1) the lack of standardized identification of these needs and 2) understanding of how to integrate an effective screening and referral model in non-traditional health settings.
How We Helped
Mosaic Group developed Westside Connect—an initiative that fosters collaboration and coordination between agencies to identify essential needs and facilitate a warm referral process to close gaps in services. This no-wrong-door program leverages cross-sector partners, fosters standardized screening, and creates a safety-net for organizations to address health and social needs.
Our Impact
Through Westside Connect Mosaic Group helped Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood develop a standardized approach to:
- Identify community needs across multiple partners of different disciplines.
- Establish an infrastructure and system to assure community members’ basic needs are met.
- Train and mobilize partners to collaboratively address resource needs, share data, and focus on continuous improvement.
