Olympic Community of Health (OCH), along with the other eight Accountable Communities of Health in Washington, are working with key funders and partners in our regions to establish a statewide network of Community Care Hubs. OCH will serve as the community care hub for Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties, and we will call our hub Olympic Connect. Through the hub, OCH intends to create an aligned regional approach to how we address social needs. OCH is working closely with funders to finalize details and expect the hub will launch in early 2025.
Why a community care hub?
Over two decades of research demonstrates the negative impacts adverse social conditions such as poverty, housing instability, and food insecurity have on health and well-being.
Work to address social needs isn’t new. Partners have worked tirelessly over many years to support patients and clients in addressing social needs.
Efforts to address social needs are largely siloed and there isn’t a system in place to track and address gaps in available resources, or to capture how our efforts are paying off.
How will a community care hub add value?
Olympic Connect will aim to add the following value to the work partners are already doing to address social needs:
strengthen regional social service delivery
roll up individual partner data to a big picture view of county and regional data to allow communities to better understand service gaps and demonstrate successes and challenges
values the expertise of community and social service providers and supports partners to focus on the work they do best
facilitates shared learning across the network to support, develop, and spread innovative models of care
creates regional infrastructure for sustainable financing for social needs
elevates community voice
provides technical assistance and administrative support and
potentially reduce “social admissions” that may go unreimbursed including social bed days and delayed discharges, and reduce preventable readmissions for clinical partners
In the long term, Olympic Connect aims to improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and advance equity throughout the Olympic region. Olympic Connect will build infrastructure to support a more seamless and efficient system of social care.
In addition to infrastructure building, Olympic Connect will include robust case management for individuals with social needs.
What does the Advisory Group do?
In the Spring, 2024, OCH launched the Olympic Connect Advisory Group to provide recommendations to OCH staff and the Board of Directors on functions and elements as we build the new community care hub serving Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties. An advisory group helps build buy-in, trust, and will ensure that Olympic Connect meets goals inclusively and collaboratively.
The advisory group is made up of community representatives from across Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties, from a variety of sectors and Tribes, and with a variety of experiences and expertise.
How can I get involved?
OCH is working closely with funders and local partners to finalize details and will share more about how this will all come together. It is anticipated that the hub will launch by early 2025. Initial funding opportunities to support this work will be available late summer-fall of 2024.
How can I get involved?
Stay informed about upcoming funding opportunities, convenings, and updates by signing up for OCH’s newsletter.
Invite OCH to come to your team meeting, coalition, etc. to learn more about Olympic Connect (available late summer & beyond).
Reach out to an OCH team member via email connect@olympicch.org.