Alliance News

Alliance Community Health and Well-Being (CHWB) staff have expanded efforts to improve well-being in our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic through strategic partnerships to reach people in areas of highest unmet social needs.

Factors such as income, employment, education, food security and housing are known to affect health and well-being, and all have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “When you’re out there in it you realize that the TV does not do it justice,” said Ann Oshel Alliance Senior Vice President—CHWB. “People are really struggling and suffering.”

To reach these people and let them know where to turn for help, Alliance has teamed up with providers and community organizations in new ways.

In one initiative, funded through the CARES Act, outreach teams from Southlight Healthcare and Renew Counseling Center are canvassing in neighborhoods with high rates of COVID-19 infections. The canvassers visit businesses and homes in these areas and offer emotional support and information about accessing helping resources, including the Hope4NC helpline.

“We’re in some neighborhoods where they have a 60% positive rate,” Oshel said. “We know that just about everywhere we’re going somebody knows somebody or has been personally affected,” she said.

Food is a major area of increased need caused by the pandemic, so Alliance has partnered with NC Cooperative Extension Wake County Center and Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) as part of their food insecurity response. “It is huge what they’re doing, and it’s a terrific opportunity to make sure people know where to get help,” Oshel said.

Alliance staff have participated in food distribution events almost weekly, giving out packets that include information about Hope4NC, Alliance Health, and crisis services. At a recent drive-up food distribution at First United Methodist Church Cary, Oshel passed info to people in more than 400 cars that lined up for a Thanksgiving meal, groceries and gift cards. “They are in line for food, which is indicative of some kind of struggle, and everyone just wants to talk about how hard this has been,” she said.

In addition, people in each car scanned a QR code that led to a community outreach survey asking about specific needs each family may have. Those who indicate they are interested in mental health counseling and support are referred to Alliance for follow-up as part of Hope4NC outreach efforts.

Alliance staff will also be participating in upcoming events in partnership with WCPSS and the InterFaith Food Shuttle to deliver food to families currently housed in hotels, with mental health and Hope4NC information included in each box.

Another initiative Alliance has joined is the effort by WCPSS to address students who have not engaged in virtual learning. Alliance staff are analyzing school system data to see if we are already doing outreach into the neighborhoods with a high number of absentees and to help WCPSS determine what interventions and resources can help engage the missing students.

“It’s tens of thousands of kids” who have either never connected to the classroom or engaged only episodically, Oshel said. “The school system is concerned that there might be something more significant going on with the families, and they have asked us to provide some resources,” she said.

“It has evolved from the school system asking us to provide information and join them at events to asking us to work with together with them to make sure the families and students they are really concerned about have somebody to talk to,” Oshel said.

North Carolinians experiencing stress during this trying time can get free crisis counseling from Hope4NC by calling  1-855-587-346;3.

Moretz Manor, a new group home in Durham serving adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI), celebrated its grand opening in October.

Alliance Health funded Moretz Manor’s start up and is working closely with Lutheran Services Carolinas on the facility’s development. The home will offer a specialized residential program to people receiving services through the North Carolina TBI Waiver. The program will also be open to adult Innovations Waiver members who sustained a TBI. Lutheran will also be accepting workers compensation and other forms of payment.

The home, located in a quiet Durham neighborhood, has six single-occupancy bedrooms and two full bathrooms, one of which is wheelchair accessible. The home also features a large living room, dining room and kitchen, an outdoor patio, and internet, cable and all amenities.

“Moretz Manor is a welcome addition to the spectrum of community-based care available to adult participants in the TBI Waiver and Innovations Waiver program,” said Cristina Phillips, Alliance Provider TBI/IDD Long Term Supports Supervisor. “The home provides an alternative to a skilled nursing facility or institutional setting.”

The home provides 24-hour supervision, with trained staff assisting residents with activities of daily living, educational and recreational opportunities and skill building. Staff include a program manager and a nurse, and participants will receive psychological and medical services, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

About North Carolina’s TBI Waiver program

The TBI Waiver provides an array of home and community-based services, through a three-year Medicaid waiver pilot, in Alliance’s four-county region. The waiver is designed to provide an alternative to nursing facility care or specialty rehabilitation hospital care for eligible individuals with a traumatic brain injury.

TBI Waiver services may be available to residents of Durham, Wake, Cumberland and Johnston counties who experienced a severe TBI which occurred on or after the age of 22, resulted in effects that are likely to continue for a very long time, resulted in significant challenges in completing daily activities, and caused the person to need more than one type of rehabilitative service and supports. Individuals must apply for and be eligible for Medicaid to receive TBI Waiver Services. Alliance staff can assist with the application process. To get started, call the Alliance Health Access and Information Center at 800-510-9132 and ask to speak to a TBI access specialist. Learn more at the Alliance Health TBI Waiver page.

Alliance Health has launched a digital communications effort to better engage members with their healthcare needs. The pilot program, which began in July, is a population health strategy focused on improving health literacy and providing education and outreach to the people Alliance serves.

“As Alliance prepares to operate a tailored plan as part of North Carolina Medicaid Transformation, this is one of many technologies we are implementing to empower our members to manage their health,” said Alliance Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mehul Mankad.

Members may receive text messages related to resources that can help them stop using tobacco or maintain a healthy weight, remember to take their medication as directed, and follow up with their primary care physician about recommended healthcare screenings or lab work, such as blood glucose tests. The messages will encourage members to call their doctor with any questions.

Members can choose to opt in or out of receiving future text messages at any time during the outreach campaigns, and they may also receive automated calls to update their contact information.

The initiative, which uses an engagement platform developed by HealthCrowd, is part of Alliance’s diverse approach to educating and engaging members through multiple touchpoints and communication formats. Alliance’s vision for engagement of members and individuals who support them includes:

• Being an active participant, based on one’s cultural values and beliefs.
• Sharing in decision making, valued and respected as an equal partner
• Understanding one’s healthcare needs and options and expressing individual preferences
• Informed choice about accessing services and supports.

“Providing opportunities for education and outreach through digital communication channels will become increasingly important as we focus on an integrated care model to help engage members as they make informed decisions about their healthcare needs,” said Doug Wright, Alliance’s Director of Community and Member Engagement.

Alliance Community Health & Strategy Manager Lori Caviness, who has been instrumental in developing the initiative, called early feedback and indicators such as opt-in rates are “preliminarily positive.” She said the program will be under evaluation as implementation progresses and optimized as appropriate.