Integration of Safety Net Services: Opportunities and Benefits in Olmsted County, Minnesota

Olmsted County, Minnesota has convened a Health Care Access Task Force to address the availability of adequate health care for the uninsured and underinsured members of our community. These needs are likely to grow in the coming years as rates of uninsurance continue to rise. The community has a strong foundation of health care resources yet there is a significant gap in health care for these vulnerable populations. In Olmsted County, the need for a less fragmented, more coordinated system to provide equitable quality and safe care for patients is clear. A proposal solution to current gaps is to create a single integrated site for health care and health care related services where resources are pooled and gaps are filled. In this paper, I will present models to improve access to health care by integrating safety net services in the community, importance of chronic disease management which is lacking in current strategies for providing services to the underserved, and a strategy for successful implementation of such a models. I will discuss sustainability of such a program and the cost benefits and improved health outcomes that might be seen with chronic disease management in an integrated health system that serves the underserved.Master of Public Healt