Through a public-private partnership, North Carolina has created the nation’s first statewide technology platform, NCCARE360, to coordinate whole-person care uniting traditional healthcare settings and organizations that address non-medical drivers of health, such as food, housing, transportation, employment and interpersonal safety. NCCARE360 is now available in all 100 counties.
“All kinds of factors can affect people’s health, and our groundbreaking and innovative NCCARE360 brings government together with the private sector to help people deal with the all the challenges of being sick with COVID-19 or any other health problem,” said Governor Roy Cooper.
Now, anyone in North Carolina can request services and be connected to an accountable organization to support their immediate and long-term needs. NCCARE360 enables health and community-based organizations to make electronic referrals, communicate in real time, securely share client information, and track outcomes together.
“Having this critical infrastructure in place puts our state in a stronger position to address the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on so many of our residents and to help us recover. NCCARE360 brings to life the state’s vision that all North Carolinians have the opportunity for health and well-being,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
NCCARE360 completed its statewide rollout six months ahead of schedule as the team fast-tracked the statewide expansion in response to COVID-19. Since the network launched in 2019, more than 1,000 organizations across the state have joined the network to connect the people they serve to the resources they need to stay healthy and well, while also ensuring accountability and tracking outcomes
“NCCARE360 is a model for the nation. It breaks down silos that create barriers to needed care and services – particularly in rural communities - and exacerbate health disparities. It was critical before COVID-19, and it is even more so now,” said Georgina Dukes, Unite Us Network Director.
Research has established that having an unmet resource need — including experiencing food insecurity, housing instability, unmet transportation needs and interpersonal violence or toxic stress — can negatively impact health while also increasing health care utilization and costs. These non-medical drivers have the greatest impact on health, yet historically the human services and healthcare systems have been fragmented and siloed. NCCARE360 breaks down those siloes, putting people at the center of service delivery.
“In order to improve the health of individuals we must have the ability to understand their unique needs and connect them to resources in their local community. NCCARE360 is playing a fundamental role in making those connections happen and the Duke Endowment is proud to support its development,” said Lin B. Hollowell III , Director of Health Care for The Duke Endowment.
Organizations that are interested in joining the network should connect at uniteus.com/join. “NCCARE360’s coordinated and comprehensive shared technology platform saves time and money for community action agencies and families served,” said Sharon C. Goodson, Executive Director of the NC Community Action Association. “It’s a long-awaited game-changer for human service delivery organizations.”
NCCARE360 is the result of a public-private partnership between the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) and the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI). The NCCARE360 implementation team includes United Way of NC, NC 2-1-1, Expound Decision Systems, and Unite Us.