Putting People First: A Personal Approach to Integrated Health Care
It’s not an uncommon experience. You head to the doctor’s office to discuss an issue, and you end up sounding like a broken record. You explain your symptoms to the receptionist when scheduling the appointment and then explain the same symptoms to the nurse who greets you at your appointment. Finally, you have to explain your symptoms a third time to the physician. By the time you get any actual answers, you’re too exhausted to care anymore.
Community Alliance is not like that.
“It is our mission, our culture, to provide a seamless experience for every individual who walks through our doors,” says Jen Muckey, Quality Improvement Manager at Community Alliance. “There shouldn’t be a single person feeling exhausted from having to tell their story eight different times or recreate the wheel.”
Community Alliance takes great pride in managing the client care journey from the initial phone call or visit to every follow-up appointment, interaction, or service after that. At Community Alliance, integrated health care is family- and person-centered. By taking a holistic and personal approach, it’s possible to achieve a greater level of healing, recovery, and purpose for every one of our clients.
Person-Centered Care from a Trained Team of Professionals
The success of our counseling services, community programs, and integrated health care services rests heavily on the training of our team members. Staff members are taught from day one that developing a relationship and building a rapport with clients is the first step in achieving a therapeutic alliance and goes beyond understanding their diagnosis. The focus is on providing services that are different from what people might have experienced previously – services tailored to their needs and the needs of their family members.
Every person who walks through the doors at Community Alliance is in charge of their journey. The person-centered care offered through our integrated health care services ensures that all needs are heard, addressed, and most importantly, become our primary focus. Since recovery is not a straight line, it’s important for our team to offer a personalized path for every client and family member that addresses mental health, physical health, and social support.
Nothing at Community Alliance is siloed. Staff members communicate and connect with each other to coordinate clients’ goals, needs, and expectations. “We can’t provide a good experience if someone is going into a health care service and meeting with a new staff member only to have to tell their story over and over again,” Jen continued. “We don’t want them to feel they are starting over with every Community Alliance staff member they meet.”
With the introduction of telehealth services, many health care offerings have become seemingly less personal and more mechanical. Throughout this shift, Community Alliance has strived to maintain a human connection with all of our clients so that we can work efficiently towards positive outcomes. The goal is to empower clients to live, work and thrive in their community.
When it comes to a client’s recovery journey, the Community Alliance team is an equal partner with our clients and their families. “Each person and their family members will be equally important in making decisions along the way,” said Jen. “There isn’t going to be one person coming in and taking over. We always offer choices and make them a part of the decision-making process.”
Community Alliance by the Numbers
It’s easy to talk about being person-centered, but it’s another thing to showcase it. Community Alliance has a team of qualified care coordinators, peer advocates, clinicians, and rehabilitation supervisors who all work together to map out the best journey for each client. Through a thoughtful screening process, the Community Alliance centralized intake team finds the right connection for every client based on what is in the best interest of that person in that exact moment.
By adopting universal screening tools and systems, the Community Alliance team always knows how to guide individuals through integrated health care services that best support their journey to recovery.
Our client satisfaction statistics speak for themselves:
• 91% of clients served across programs reported satisfaction
• 95% of clients in primary care reported that they felt safe talking about traumatic experiences with their provider
• 100% of clients in primary care reported that the program understands their cultural needs and that staff really listen to what they have to say about things
• 93% of clients reported that involvement with Peer Support helped them feel more hopeful about the future
• 92% of clients in rehabilitation programs reported that they feel comfortable talking openly and honestly to their team about life experiences
• 94% of clients entering Day Rehabilitation or Residential Rehabilitation reported that they had timely access to services
• 100% of clients reported timely access for Peer Support services
• 96% of clients seeking services for homelessness reported timely access to services
Community Alliance takes pride in offering a truly customized approach to recovery. Through dynamic services and an integrated approach to health care, clients can do more than recover, they can thrive. As for the team at Community Alliance, the positive outcomes and success stories are all the motivation we need to continue taking a person-centered approach to wellness.
Help is Within Reach
Community Alliance offers a full range of integrated health services, including primary and psychiatric care, mental health and substance use counseling, rehabilitation and employment services, supportive housing, community, family and peer support, and more.